


Life Less Ordinary

by tocourtdisaster



Category: Star Wars: New Jedi Order Era - Various
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama, F/M, Mystery, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-24
Updated: 2010-01-24
Packaged: 2017-10-06 16:13:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 39,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/55501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tocourtdisaster/pseuds/tocourtdisaster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jaina Solo's Twin Suns Squadron is given a special mission to protect the new Jedi Academy from outside attacks. No one ever expected an attack to come from within. A post-<i>Rebel Dream</i> AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Since this story veers off from canon just after _Rebel Dream_, everything that follows after in NJO will be ignored. I first started this story back in 2002, as a way to entertain myself until _Rebel Stand_ was released. When I went back and started reworking the story in the summer of 2007, I made a conscious decision to pretend that I was still in that place, with only the canon up to Rebel Stand to draw from. I hope you can remember that as you read.
> 
> The title comes from the Carbon Leaf song of the same name.

Jaina Solo, Jedi Knight, Rogue Squadron pilot, and faux Yuuzhan Vong goddess, was being stared at. Some stares were critical, some questioning, some curious, but most were surprised.

_I don't doubt it, _Jaina thought to herself. Here she was, arm-in-arm with Jagged Fel, standing just inside Lando Calrissian's quarters, where a party _had_been in full swing. Apparently, Jaina showing her face was quite unexpected. Figuring that she could unnerve the party-goers even more, she smiled sweetly at those who were staring at her. She gestured airily and everyone immediately went back to their drinks and conversation, ignoring the two pilots in the doorway. Everyone but one man.

Lando wove his way through the crowd, moving steadily towards Jaina and Jag. He stopped a few feet away from them and spread his arms wide. Jaina freed her arm from Jag's and embraced Lando fiercely. After a moment, Lando pulled away and held Jaina at arm's length.

”You seem to get more beautiful every time I see you," Lando said, his dazzling smile in place. He turned to regard Jag. "Can't say the same for your boyfriend though."

Though she fought it, Jaina could feel her cheeks warming. She was about to correct Lando when a thought hit her. She and Jag had been spending a lot of time together and they had shared that kiss. So what were they? Even if they had inadvertently ended up dating, they hadn’t spoken about it and nothing was official. Nothing could be official while Jaina was parading about as Yun-Harla. Goddesses did not form romantic ties to mere mortals.

All of this went through Jaina's mind in less than a second. She decided to play along, appearances be damned. "I don't think his mug'll ever improve," she said glancing sidelong at Jag, her voice serious, but a smile on her lips. She sensed Jag’s annoyance at being the butt of a joke, but he didn't seem to mind too much.

They chit-chatted for a few more minutes, until Lando said that he had other guests to entertain, and excused himself. Jaina grabbed Jag's hand and led him to a makeshift bar in one corner of the room. She got herself some pre-invasion brandy then sat down in a chair not far from the liquor. Jag got himself a drink and sat next to Jaina.

Jaina regarded him out of the corner of her eye. When she had told Lando that his looks would probably never improve, she hadn't been lying. He was roguishly handsome, with deep green eyes and hair a shade lighter than black. The scar leading from his right eyebrow into his hair only made him seem more attractive. The fact that he was tall and mysterious only added to his appeal. And the fact that he was a great kisser was a total non-issue.

Jaina took a sip of her brandy, hoping that her thoughts weren't reflected on her face. She rested her glass on her knee and turned to her companion. She found his gaze already on her, and it unnerved her. She wondered what he was thinking.

"Aren't you a little young to be drinking?" he asked, amusement evident in his voice and eyes.

"No.” Jaina replied. "I've been with Rogue Squadron since the beginning of this war and I've had my fair share, probably more, of liquor. Besides, when have you ever known me to follow the rules?"

Instead of answering, Jag laughed. It was a deep chuckle that Jaina immediately loved. Right then and there, she made it her goal, for the foreseeable future at least, to try and get Jag to laugh more often.

"I can’t seem to recall any specific instance, but I’m sure it’s happened at some point," Jag was saying, his small smile in place. "Of course, though, a goddess can do whatever she pleases, without having to worry about punishment or repercussions."

"I'm not a goddess," she said, for Jag's ears only. "At least not tonight. Tonight, I'm just Jaina Solo, no titles attached. Just plain, old Jaina."

"I could live with that," Jag murmured, some strange emotion in his voice. He downed his liquor and stood quickly. "Would you like more brandy?" he asked. Jaina looked down at her glass. Apparently, during their conversation, she had finished her drink without realizing it. She nodded, and handed it to Jag.

And so the night progressed. The two pilots kept mostly to themselves, and their drink of choice. Every time they ran out, Jag would get them more. By the time most of the revelers had started to wander back to their own quarters, Jaina was more than pleasantly tipsy.

Jag, apparently, could hold his liquor better. He had had just as much to drink as Jaina, but hardly seemed affected.

"Jag, get me some more brandy," Jaina slurred, holding out her glass to her companion. He plucked it from her grasp, but set it on the floor, next to his own. "Now why'd you go and do that?" she asked indignantly.

"You are drunk Jaina," he told her, speaking very clearly. "It's time for you to go to bed." He stood and pulled her up to stand beside him, but she fell back into her chair.

"Whoops! Seems like the ground isn't quite stable in this part of the base," she said, giggling like a little girl.

"C'mon," Jag said, pulling Jaina to her feet again. Before she could fall, he put an arm around her waist. "Let's get you to bed." Jag maneuvered them around fallen partiers and through the door, out into the corridor. He headed towards the living quarters, fairly dragging Jaina beside him. At one point, she slipped from his grasp and fell to the floor, asleep.

The young man sighed and crouched down on his haunches. He pulled Jaina close and stood up, cradling her to his chest. She was very light, lighter than Jag would have expected, and he had no trouble carrying her.

Since she was probably out for the night, Jag decided to take Jaina to his quarters. There was no way he could get into hers without the access code, and the unconscious woman in his arms was the only one who knew it. So it looked like Jaina would spend the night with Jag.

_I sure hope her parents don't find out, _Jag thought. He remembered the brawl that Han Solo had gotten into on Hapes, so he knew what kind of damage the overprotective father could inflict on him before he knew the truth.

He reached his quarters with no incident. He set Jaina down on the floor beside his door, entered the access code, and opened the door. He then stooped down to retrieve Jaina and entered his quarters, the door shutting behind him.

Jag moved to his bedside and laid Jaina down on top of the covers. Through trial and error, he got her boots off, and managed to get the blankets out from beneath her to on top of her. Jag gazed down at the sleeping young woman. She looked so peaceful in sleep, even if it was caused by too much alcohol. He turned away with a sigh.

He kicked off his boots and took off his jacket, throwing it on the back of a chair. Standing in the middle of the room half-dressed, Jag tried to figure out where he was going to sleep.

The safest options were an uncomfortable chair or the cold floor, neither of which appealed to him. That left only one other option: the bed. The only problem with that was Jaina herself. If she woke up before he did, she might jump to conclusions, leaving Jag in a tight spot.

_I’ll just have to make sure that I’m up before she is,_ Jag decided as he turn off the lights and climbed under the blankets next to Jaina.

The bed was quite narrow, so he had to wrap his arm around her to keep them both on the bed. Jaina surprised him by burrowing herself deeper under the blankets and into his chest. She sighed in her sleep, sounding quite content. Jag smiled his small, secret smile, the one that he reserved for Jaina alone. If she didn't seem to mind the sleeping arrangements, then Jag needn’t worry. He closed his eyes and was almost immediately asleep.

* * *

Jaina awoke to a glaring headache and the worst hangover of her life. She half moaned, half sighed, not wanting to get up. She rolled over and, out of habit, squeezed her eyes shut against the glare of the sun. After a minute, Jaina noticed that she couldn't feel the warmth of the sunlight on her face.

Her eyes shot open only to be greeted by a bare, windowless wall. She wasn’t in her own room. Hangover forgotten, Jaina sat bolt upright in bed, alertness returning in a flash. She heard a _very_familiar laugh to one side and turned her head quick enough to crick her neck.

Jag was standing in the door to the 'fresher, laughing at Jaina. He looked like he had just gotten out of the shower. He was wearing only black trousers and had a towel draped around his neck. His hair looked slightly damp and more disheveled than normal. Jaina found herself staring and looked away quickly, a blush coloring her cheeks a faint pink.

Jag seemed to notice this and laughed again. He walked over to a small dresser next to the bed, pulled out a shirt, and pulled it over his head. Jaina didn't seem to notice, as her eyes were still fixed on the wall.

"Is this better?" Jag asked, nothing but mild curiosity in his voice. Jaina turned to look at him and nodded mutely.

"Why am I here, and did anything happen between us last night?" Jaina asked quietly and rather quickly.

Jag related to her the events of the previous night. "And, no, nothing happened between us," he added. "Unless you consider sleeping in the same bed as ‘something happening’."

Jaina flopped back on the bed, one arm flung across her eyes. "Thank the Force," she muttered. "I was so wasted, I don't remember anything after the fifth drink. I could have given you a lap dance and not remembered." She peeked around her arm to stare sternly at Jag. "Not that I'm offering."

"Of course not," he replied. "I wouldn't dream of it." He pulled a pair of socks out of the dresser and moved to sit on a chair near the door. He pulled on his socks and was lacing up his right boot when he looked up at Jaina, still lying in his bed. "You want some caf?" he asked of her. When he got no response, he asked, "Jaina? Are you awake?"

"Yeah," she replied. "I just realized how comfortable I am. I don't want to get up. I just want to lay here for a week or so.”

"If you want to get out of here unnoticed, now's the time to do it," Jag told her. "Not a lot of people are up at this hour. Imagine the rumors that would spread if anyone were to see you leaving my quarters this early in the morning. If your father hears, he’ll shoot first and ask questions later."

Jaina snorted as she tried not to laugh. "Yeah, that he would," she said. She sat up and swung her legs around so she was sitting on the edge of the bed. She started to pull on her own boots. "Okay, I'll leave, but you need to promise me something first."

"What's that?"

"That we’ll make some time to sit down and talk," she told him. "I'm confused. I don’t know what the deal is between us, but I’d like to know before the rest of the base does."

Jag, who now had both boots on, moved to sit next to Jaina on the edge of the bed. He gently grabbed her chin and turned her head so they were facing one another. "You want to know how I feel about you?" he asked, his face centimeters from Jaina's. She nodded. Wordlessly, Jag leaned forward and closed the gap between them, their lips gently meeting.

The kiss lasted for only a moment before Jag pulled away. Jaina wrapped her arms around Jag’s waist and pressed her cheek against his chest. “You know," she said, her voice slightly muffled by Jag's shirt, "if you were anybody else, I would have slapped you."

Jag gently returned the embrace as he laughed; Jaina heard it rumble through his chest. "I'm a lucky man then, aren't I?" he said, his face buried in her hair.

Jaina pulled away from Jag with a sigh. "I'd better get going. Don't want rumors to start flying," she said with a smile. She stood up, walked to the door. Her hand was hovering over the keypad as she twisted around to face Jag. "Thanks for being there for me, Jag," she told him quietly.

"That's what friends are for," he told her, just as quietly.

"I thought we were more than that?" Jaina asked.

"We were friends first," he explained. "And we'll always _be_friends. Nothing will change that."

Jaina smiled at him again. "See you at breakfast?" Jag nodded.

Jaina turned and left his quarters. Her mood was considerably lighter than it had been for some time as she headed to her own room. _Well, that was certainly interesting,_ she thought to herself. For just a moment, she felt like a normal nineteen year old woman, not a Jedi-turned-pilot-turned-goddess. It was nice.

_Too bad it can’t last._ She sighed as she entered her quarters. She had time for a quick shower and then it would be back to the daily grind of being an aloof Goddess.


	2. Chapter 2

Jaina Solo stared out the window of her quarters at the scorched landscape surrounding the old biotics building which was currently being used as a New Republic military base. _This planet used to be beautiful, once upon a time,_ she thought to herself. _Now, it's just another casualty of war, like Sernpidal and Ithor. _If she stretched her sight to its limits, she thought that she could see vegetation on the far horizon, but she couldn’t be sure.

Her comlink began to beep and Jaina dug it out of her pocket. She flicked it on with her thumb and held it up to her mouth. "Solo here."

"It's Dad," Jaina heard through the tiny device. Her father's voice was very tinny. "Wedge wants you down here in the main conference room ASAP. Something big is going down."

A lump of dread began to form in the pit of Jaina's stomach. Her father's tone of voice gave Jaina the distinct impression that something very bad was either happening or going to happen soon. "On my way," she replied, taking care to keep all emotion out of her voice. She thumbed off the comlink and grabbed her jacket as she fairly sprinted out the door.

Jaina arrived at the conference room in record time. She pushed her hair out of her face, which had been left down from its customary braid. The young pilot entered and sat down next to Gavin Darklighter and the other squadron leaders. In a matter of minutes, everyone else had arrived and were seated throughout the large room. Wedge Antilles began the briefing.

"Okay people, we have a situation. Early this morning, sensors picked up another worldship at the edge of the system." As the general spoke, a hologram came online behind him, showing the location of this new Yuuzhan Vong vessel. "We have reason to believe that this is the Warmaster's worldship." Wedge paused, looking around the room. He nodded to Jaina, who had her hand raised.

"Not to be disrespectful, but how do you figure that?" she asked, curiosity evident in her voice.

"First of all, the worldship that we believe houses the Warmaster disappeared from orbit around Coruscant last night. We can only guess at how fast a ship like that could move through hyperspace, but our scientists feel certain that this is the same worldship that left Coruscant. Secondly, ever since the Jedi strike team has returned from Myrkr, we've known that the Vong were after you, Great One. We've made it no secret that you're here. It makes sense that the Warmaster would come after you personally.

"And thirdly," Wedge paused, making eye contact with Jaina, “you mother has informed us that your brother is definitely aboard that ship."

Jaina's eyes widened in shock. Jacen had reached out to their mother, but had not done the same to his own twin? Jaina felt betrayed. She knew it was irrational, knew that Jacen was probably only trying to keep her from flying off alone on some half-cocked rescue attempt, but it still hurt that he hadn’t even reached out to let her know that he was alive.

Wedge was still speaking. "I want everyone on standby alert. We know that the Vong will strike, but we can't anticipate when. Individual squadron leaders and ship captains will receive their orders within the hour. Dismissed." Jaina rose along with everyone else, but stopped when Wedge called out to her. "Great One, I'd like to speak with you if I may."

She moved against the flow of people to the head of the room. Her parents, Lando and Tendra Calrissian, Tycho Celchu, and Wedge and Iella Antilles were sitting around the huge table there. Jaina seated herself in the only empty seat, directly across from Wedge.

“There are two things I need to know,” Jaina said, her tone colder than winter on Hoth. “One: why I wasn’t told of this beforehand; and two: that I’m included in the strike team that’s no doubt being formed to rescue my brother.”

“You should watch your attitude, Lieutenant,” Wedge bit out sternly. “In here, you’re not a goddess. You can and will be disciplined for insubordination.”

“Understood, sir,” Jaina replied, not in the least bit cowed, but seemingly so.

“Good,” Wedge said, his tone more like Jaina was used to. “As to the first part, you weren’t told because we didn’t want you flying off to try to single-handedly rescue Jacen. If you’re captured along with Jacen, then we lose. The Vong would get a morale boost with the twin sacrifice and we would lose two Jedi, one of whom is a veteran fighter pilot, which we’ve been sorely lacking recently.

“As to the second part, if all goes according to plan, you won’t even be in-system when we press the attack.”

“What?!” Jaina demanded. “There’s no way—“

“You have another assignment of critical importance,” Wedge spoke over her protests. "We have reason to believe that the Vong might try to navigate the Maw. If they do, they'll most certainly stumble upon the Jedi safehouse located there. Your assignment is to take Twin Suns Squadron and protect Shelter," Wedge stated. "I know that you would rather be here to help your brother--"

"Damn straight."

"--but if you get caught, the Vong have won," he continued, without missing a beat. "This is for your protection as well as his."

Outwardly, Jaina seemed mostly calm, but inside, she was seething. They weren't taking away her command, but they were putting her out of the fight and away from Jacen. If her mother was right, and Jacen was alive, Jaina was the person with the best chance of saving him, but they were sending her to protect a bunch of black holes.

"As soon as you get Jacen back, or get any information about him, you had better rotate me back here, or there will be hell to pay," Jaina told the general icily before getting up storming out.

* * *

"That went well," Han said into the silence that followed his daughter’s melodramatic exit.

"How do you figure that?" Tycho asked, unconsciously repeating the phrase Jaina had used earlier. "She all but threatened us."

Leia turned to regard her fellow Alderaanian. "At least she didn't turn back to the Dark Side and kill us all where we sit," she told him. "She only threatened us. Be grateful." Her voice was now commanding and full of venom.

"Grateful. Aye, ma'am," Tycho said, holding up his hands in surrender. "I'll be going now. I'm sure there's something that I need to be doing...somewhere." The colonel retreated quickly.

"Leia, dear, I think you've scared the poor man off," Han said into the silence that ensued.

"Han, your powers of observation are astounding," Lando said, absently rubbing his hands together.

"I would shut up if I were you, Lando, unless you want everyone to know about that time on Nal Hutta--"

"Alright! I’m shutting up."

Wedge watched the entire exchange in silence. "Anyway," he stated after they had finished, "I know Jaina's angry for more reasons than the fact that I'm sending her to the Maw. Anyone have any ideas why?"

"I know why," Leia told him. "She's upset because Jacen reached out to me and not her. She feels that she should have sensed him as soon as he entered the system, no matter what. The bond between twins is stronger than the one between mother and child, and yet she remained oblivious to him. She might know that Jacen is only trying to protect her, but that doesn’t stop her from being angry."

"Can I rely on her to follow my orders?" Wedge asked. "Because if I can't, I'll have her put under house arrest at Shelter, and put Jag or Kyp in charge of the squadron."

"She'll listen," Han said. "But you had better be ready to shift some people out there because when Jaina comes back, she won't be coming alone."

"Who..." Wedge began, but trailed off as realization dawned on him. "Jag. They're inseparable."

"Attached at the hip is a better term," Lando said, smirking. "You should've seen them at my party a couple nights ago. Sat by the keg all night and got trashed. Left together, too."

Before Han could respond to Lando's comment, Tendra spoke. "If that's everything, then I have business to attend to." Wedge nodded and the tall woman got up to leave. Lando hastily tried to follow his wife, but Han caught his arm.

"That kid do anything to my daughter?" he demanded of his long-time friend.

"Nothing that I saw," the dark-skinned man replied. "You'll have to talk to the kid about what happened after they left."

Han nodded and let go of Lando, who beat a hasty retreat. _I'm gonna have a nice long _talk _with that kid._

"Don't kill Jag," Iella beseeched him. "He's my nephew, and I'm rather fond of him. Besides, I'd get stuck with the paperwork that would have to be done. You wouldn't inflict that upon me, would you?"

"Don't worry, Iella, I won't kill him," Han promised the Intelligence agent. _Just severely wound him.  
_

* * *

Jag Fel was doing routine maintenance on his clawcraft when he felt a tap on his shoulder. This startled him, but he tried not to let it show. The young pilot turned around to come face-to-face with his uncle. Wedge Antilles and Jag's mother, Syal, were brother and sister, but hadn't seen each other in years. In fact, Jag had only met his famous uncle less than two years ago.

"General." Jag saluted smartly to the shorter Corellian. Wedge returned his salute, and Jag fell into a formal military stance.

"I'm here as your uncle, Jag," Wedge stated. "Let's speak on equal terms, but not here."

"Then where?" Jag asked, puzzled by his uncle's strange behavior.

"Follow me," Wedge said. Jag did as commanded. The two men didn't speak at all while in transit. Suddenly, they stopped and Jag was surprised to find them outside Wedge and Iella Antilles' personal quarters. Wedge entered the access code and preceded Jag into the room. The older man sat down in a chair in a small conversation circle in the corner of the room. Jag followed and sat down across from his uncle, wondering the whole time about the general's behavior.

Once Jag was settled, Wedge began. "Two weeks ago, Jaina and Kyp defied orders to save you from the Vong. Afterwards, when you and I were discussing it, I told you that I would get my answers later. I think that today, I might have been granted an answer."

"Might I ask: an answer to what?" Jag asked.

Wedge locked his brown eyes on his nephew’s green ones. "An answer as to why Jaina defied orders, why you came in her place to speak with me, why you didn't want her to be reprimanded."

"And what did you find, sir?" Jag asked, reverting to formal speak as his anxiety level rose.

"Something that I'm sure you both know, but haven't admitted to yet," Wedge answered elusively. He regarded his nephew for a moment before continuing. "You really love her, don't you?"

The matter-of-fact way in which Wedge spoke caught Jag off-guard, and this time he couldn't hide his surprise. He was sure that his shock was evident on his face and in his eyes. It took the young man a moment to regain his voice. "Yes," he answered his uncle quietly, averting his eyes. "Yes, I do."

Wedge regarded the younger man for a few more silent moments. Finally, he spoke. "Look, I know that you're not comfortable discussing this with me. To tell you the truth, I'm not all that comfortable with it, either. But I do have a little advice for you. Talk to Jaina. Don't put it off, because if you do, you might never get the chance."

Jag nodded as he stood. "Thank you, Uncle," he said before moving across the room and exiting the older man's quarters.

Before the door swished shut, Jag was sure he heard his uncle say, “Good luck, Fel. You’re gonna need it.”

* * *

Jaina stared out across the barren landscape of Borleias. After the briefing in the conference room, she had needed to clear her head, so she had headed up to the roof of the biotics building. She now found herself leaning against a heating unit that protruded from the roof.

Suddenly, she felt nostalgic. She missed her old life: her training on Yavin 4, being with her friends all the time, the childish innocence they had all seemed to possess. She missed her brothers so much that she felt it as a physical pain in her gut.

She sighed deeply. _I wish that Anakin and Jacen and I had been on better terms before Anakin died, _she thought. _Jacen, why are you blocking me out? I thought we were closer than that. Please, if you can hear me, let me know that you're alive! _The young woman sat silently, hoping for some flicker in her heart or the Force, signifying that her twin had heard her. She was sorely disappointed when her plea was met with emptiness. The place that Jacen had occupied in her heart was still empty.

Jaina turned back to survey the black and barren landscape. Soon, however, she felt a strong, familiar presence in the Force. She leaned around the heating unit and saw Jag Fel standing by the door to the roof. Jag saw her, and smiled his small, secret smile as he headed towards her.

Jaina's stomach began doing flip-flops. She tried to will it to stop, but was having no success. It seemed like every time that she saw Jagged Fel, her body started acting all weird on her.

Jag slid down to sit next to Jaina, but didn't turn to look at her. Instead, he regarded the landscape. "It's a pity that we had to vape the planet itself," he said. "It really was quite beautiful. Now it's only ashes."

Jaina turned to look at Jag, surprised. This wasn't the overconfident pilot that she had met Ithor and had known ever since. This was a different Jag, the real Jag, the one that she had only seen bits and pieces of. _But, _she noted, _I've seen more of this Jag lately than the old one._

After a few moments of comfortable silence, Jaina spoke, "Is there a reason you came up here to see me?"

Almost reluctantly, it seemed, Jag nodded. "I had a talk with my uncle earlier," he said, still looking out at the horizon. "It was very interesting and enlightening."

"What did you talk about?" Jaina blurted after Jag provided no further information.

Jag took a moment to answer, but when he did, his answer started Jaina. "Us," he said. "You and me. Our feelings specifically."

Jaina was too dumbfounded to say anything. She just sat there, staring at Jag, pleading with her eyes for an explanation. Jag reached out and grabbed her hand, their fingers seeming to automatically intertwine. Jaina looked down at their hands, then back up at Jag, only to find his face mere centimeters from hers. She closed her eyes, and suddenly, she was kissing Jag again.

This kiss was different from the one in the conference room, different from the one in his room. It was deeper, more passionate, full of all of the feelings that they had tried to suppress. Jaina never wanted the moment to end.

Suddenly, she heard faintly, _I love you, Jaina,_ and realized with a start that she had heard Jag’s thoughts. Her shock was great enough that she broke the kiss and leaned her forehead against Jag's, their noses almost touching. Jag wasn't Force-sensitive, yet she had heard his thoughts clearly. Even Uncle Luke had trouble reading the surface thoughts of non-Jedi but she had heard Jag’s as though he had whispered it in her ear.

"I love you too, Jag," she whispered before reclaiming his lips with her own. When they broke apart, Jaina asked, "Was your uncle right? About us, I mean?"

Jag chuckled softly. "Yes. He figured it out before anyone else did. Before we did. I'm going to have to thank him for his insight." He put his arms around her and pulled her towards him so that Jaina was leaning into his chest. He rested his chin on her head.

"Your uncle is sending us to protect the Jedi Shelter," Jaina told him after a few moments of silence. "He doesn't seem to think that I can handle being here fighting the Vong while my brother is so close. He thinks that I'll go off and get myself killed while trying to save him."

"I know our orders," Jag said. "Apparently, Colonel Celchu knew that you wouldn't want to talk about them, so he had them transmitted to Kyp and me. We've already told the rest of the squadron."

Jaina nodded and leaned farther into Jag's embrace. "I feel like in leaving I’m abandoning Jacen. He's my brother; I need to do everything possible to save him. I'm the oldest. I'm supposed to look after him. I failed with Anakin. I don't want to fail again." Her voice hoarsened as tears welled up in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She blinked rapidly, willing away the tears.

"I know how you feel," Jag told her quietly. "My little sister died in my place. I've always felt that I should have gone out there instead of her. I've felt guilty about it ever since. At first, I felt like I had somehow let her down. But then I realized something: she made her choice. I couldn't have changed her mind. Even if I had tried, she still would have gone and taken my place. Whatever happens to Jacen, you need to realize something. He chose to go back and kill the voxyn queen. He made his choice; you couldn't have changed his mind. Whatever happens now are just the consequences of that action."

Jaina took all of this in silently. "I know, but it just doesn't seem fair, or right," she said after a moment, craning her neck around to look at Jag

"Nothing about war is right or fair," he replied, kissing her forehead before continuing. "But if it weren't for this war, we might never have met. We wouldn't be sitting here together like this right now."

"I guess some good does come from war," the young Jedi replied with a smile as she turned her face back to the view of the empty landscape. "It did bring my parents together, after all."

Out of nowhere, her comlink began to beep insistently and she reluctantly disentangled herself from Jag's embrace. She pulled the device out of her pocket and thumbed it on. "Solo here."

"It's Kyp," the Jedi Master's voice came tinnily across the channel. "General Antilles has moved up our departure time. We're outbound in one hour."

"Copy," Jaina replied. "I'll be down there in a half hour. Solo out."

"Out," Kyp replied before Jaina shut the device off.

The young Jedi turned to her companion. "We'd better get going. I still have to pack, and because it's an extended mission, I actually have to packsomething. Can't go unprepared."

"Have to be prepared," Jag agreed. He stood and pulled Jaina to her feet next to him. They walked across the roof, to the door, and took the stairs down to the barracks level. Jag walked Jaina to her quarters and glanced to each side to make sure they were alone before giving her a quick kiss. "See you in the hangar," he said, heading towards his own room.

Jaina waved at his retreating back, and entered her quarters, fairly floating through the entrance. Her mind was up in the stars, and her heart was in Jag's hand. She wasn’t sure where exactly their relationship was headed, but she was ready for the ride. With a smile, she began to pack what few meager possessions she had, her mind nowhere near her current mission but on the man just down the hall.


	3. Chapter 3

Jag Fel felt like he was walking on a cloud. This was a brand new sensation for him. Being raised among the Chiss, he was taught to be well-grounded in his beliefs and to never waver. And even though he was a pilot, he had been taught to always keep his feet on the ground, so to speak.

But Jaina had changed all that. He knew he loved her, but couldn't figure out when he had realized it. It seemed like he had felt this way about her forever, even though he had known her for only a few years. She had changed his entire way of thinking, had turned his entire world upside down. And after their encounter on the roof just a few moments ago, she had proved to him that she felt the same.

Jag entered his quarters and absently packed up all of his belongings, which didn’t take long, as he had very few material belongings with him. He had a few uniforms, a casual outfit, and some small knick-knacks to remind him of home. He had everything packed up in less than five minutes. He knew that he would meet Jaina at her quarters in fifteen minutes, and that they would go down to the docking bay together, but he couldn't stop thinking about her. After five more minutes, he made his decision, one that most would judge as rash, but one that he knew was right.

Leaving his bag sitting on his bed, Jag left his room with quick but measured steps. He got to Jaina's room quickly and walked in without announcing his presence. He found Jaina closing up her bag. She looked up at his entrance, surprised, but smiled when she realized who it was.

"Jag, what are you doing here?" she asked, moving over to him. She stood on her tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss.

"I know this may seem a little premature, probably rash..." he trailed off, looking into her eyes. "Marry me?"

Jaina started at this. She looked at Jag, surprise and joy and love evident in her eyes. She grabbed both of his hands and locked her brandy gaze onto his emerald one. Jag tried to keep all of his nervousness from showing on his face, but he was sure that she could feel it through the Force.

"Yes."

Jag's face blossomed into a smile that stretched from ear to ear. He pulled his hands from hers, cupped her face, and leaned down and gently kissed her. He felt Jaina deepen the kiss, and didn't resist. Soon, though, he pulled away and leaned his forehead against hers. After a moment, he pulled away, grabbed her hand, and headed toward the door.

"Wait, Jag, where are we going?" she asked, allowing herself to be pulled along.

"You said yes, now we're going to get my uncle to perform the ceremony," he answered. "I know it's quick, but I don't think that I want to wait. Too many things can happen in war and I don’t want to miss out on being married to you."

"I don’t either,” Jaina told him. “But who are we going to get to be our witnesses?”

* * *

Kyp somehow found himself sitting in a small auxiliary conference room. Jaina had contacted him two minutes ago, requesting his presence. Only when he had arrived had he been told that he was to act as a witness at the wedding of Jaina and Jag. He glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw Shawnkyr Nuruodo sitting a few seats down, acting as the second witness, looking just as uncomfortable as he felt. Jaina's droid Cappie was between them.

"All right," General Antilles began, "do you want the long, short, or quickie version of the ceremony?"

"Quickie," Jaina answered him. "I'm supposed to meet my parents on the landing field in ten minutes so they can see me off. If I'm not there to meet them, they'll get worried and send a search party." Kyp knew that the entire squadron would be leaving Borleias in fifteen minutes, but hadn't known that Han and Leia would be there to see their daughter off. _But I should have realized that they would._

"Quickie it is then." The General turned to the young Chiss-raised pilot. "Jag, do you take Jaina to be your wife, in sickness and health, good times and bad, till death do you part?"

"I do," he said firmly, looking in Jaina's eyes. Not only could Kyp see the love evident in Jag's eyes, but he could also feel it through the Force. This surprised Kyp because Jag wasn't a Jedi, but his feelings were coming across stronger and clearer than most people's usually did.

General Antilles turned to Jaina. "Jaina, do you take Jag to be your husband, in sickness and health, good times and bad, till death do you part?"

She turned to look at Jag and said quietly, but firmly, "I do."

"Then by the power vested in me by the New Republic, I pronounce you husband and wife. Kiss your bride, Fel. That's an order."

"Yes, sir," he said, snapping off a quick salute at his uncle before turning a kissing his wife. After a moment, they broke apart, smiling.

Kyp took that as his cue to leave. He stood, Shawnkyr and Cappie following him. Once out in the corridor, Kyp headed for the docking bay with Cappie, while Shawnkyr headed in the opposite direction, probably towards the simulators.

_I take it they don't want Han and Leia to know about this yet. I had better make sure to watch my mouth and not mention anything, _Kyp thought. _Otherwise, I am going to have two angry pilots after my hide.  
_

* * *

Han Solo watched his only daughter stride across the docking bay in his direction. It didn’t escape his notice that the Fel kid had walked his little girl as far as his clawcraft, and then left her to say good-bye to her parents on her own. _What is going on between those two?_

"Hey Daddy," Jaina said, giving her father a tight hug.

"Hey yourself," he said, pulling away and holding her at arm's length. He looked at her critically. "Don't get yourself killed, alright? Because that would mean that I didn’t teach you enough about flying and I don’t think I could live with that failure."

Jaina smiled. "I wouldn't go and die on you, Dad. You and Colonel Darklighter are too good of teachers for the Vong to get me."

"Colonel Darklighter? Gavin? He taught you how to fly? You went behind my back?" Han asked, mock horror in his voice.

Jaina punched her father's arm lightly. "Oh, be quiet, you." She turned to her mother and gave her a tight hug. "I'll miss you, Mom."

"Stay safe, and may the Force be with you," Leia told her daughter.

"And with you," Jaina said. She turned from her parents and quickly walked to her X-wing and stowed her bag in the secure portion of the cargo hold. She leaped into the cockpit, gave Cappie a wave, and started up her engines. Han and Leia stepped back as the roar of multiple fighter engines cut through the air.

_Be safe, Jaina, please,_ Han pleaded silently. _I don’t want to have to bury another child.  
_

* * *

Jaina ran through her pre-flight checks quickly, and flipped on her comm. "Twin Suns, report in." She waited until everyone had checked in, and then switched frequencies to Borleias control. "Control, Twin Suns Squadron is green and good to go."

"Copy," the voice of Tycho Celchu answered. "You are clear for launch. May the Force be with you."

"Copy. Twin Suns Lead out." Jaina powered up her repulsorlifts and maneuvered up and over the kill zone, the rest of the squadron following her lead. Once out in the open air, she throttled up her engines, and kicked her ship into orbit. Once everyone was out in the vacuum of space, Jaina transmitted them the jump coordinates.

"Jump on my mark," she transmitted, turning her ship onto her exit vector. "Three, two, one, mark." She pulled her hyperspace levers back, plunging her ship into the blue and white swirling maelstrom that was hyperspace.

Stuck in hyperspace for the entire trip with nothing to keep her company but her thoughts, Jaina thought about her future. Since the war had started, she had never planned very far ahead. Now, it seemed like she needed to plan a few years ahead, at the least. Now that she was married, she had to think about surviving the next engagement against the Vong. She had to think about the possibility of children, however near or far in the future that might be. She had to think about telling her parents about her marriage.

But all of that was in the future. For the moment, all she had to worry about was getting to the Maw alive. And that was enough for her.


	4. Chapter 4

The Maw, though beautiful, was decidedly deadly. Made entirely of black holes, it was impossible to navigate but for a few little known routes that wound through the swirling maelstrom. To Jaina, the natural formation of black holes was both alluring and repulsive at the same time. Just knowing that the same forces that created the black holes helped the Yuuzhan Vong fight made Jaina want to figure out some way to destroy them all.

Jaina glanced around at the space outside of her X-wing canopy. Twin Suns two through six were arrayed around her while the rest of the squadron was formed up on Piggy on the other side of the "island" that made up the center of the Maw. Jaina's group floated facing one of the known approaches through the black holes. Piggy's group faced the only other known approach.

The Jedi Shelter that occupied the asteroids in the center of the island was expecting a shipment of supplies from Tendra Calrissian. With the Vong occupying nearby Kessel, there was a chance that they would notice the _Gentlemen's Caller_ and follow her in.

Knowing that the Vong used gravatic fluctuations to navigate, some in the military thought that the warriors from another galaxy wouldn't be able to traverse through the black holes. Other, though, thought that the Vong would have no trouble navigating though the gravity maze. So Twin Suns Squadron, under Jaina's command, had been transferred out to protect the Jedi base.

Jaina sighed wearily. They had arrived here more than a month previous, and there had been no Vong activity even remotely near the Maw. No worldship, no attack force, not even a coralskipper scout had been near them. There was plenty of Vong activity on and near Kessel, but none of it had shown any passing interest in the black hole cluster.

Jaina would have rather been out in the thick of things, where she could make a noticeable difference in the war. But she was stuck here, babysitting the Jedi.

There had also been no news from her parents about Jacen. Tendra, aside from hauling supplies, also brought news and orders in, and reports out. She managed to usually get the Shelter once every standard week.

Two weeks ago, she had brought to Jaina a communiqué from Colonel Celchu. He had said that the Vong had again attacked Borleias and that her parents were still alive and as safe as they could be in a war zone. He had also said that the Courscant strike team had returned, but would be staying on Borleias.

Then, last week, she had received notice that Uncle Luke, Aunt Mara, and Tahiri Veila had infiltrated the Vong worldship, with the intent of rescuing Jacen. Jaina hoped with all her heart that they had rescued her twin, and that Tendra would be bringing him with her. She hoped that all of her family would come to Shelter and be safe, but knew that it would never happen. Everyone in her family was the same; they all felt that they had to save the galaxy every time there was a need.

Jaina snapped back to the present as her sensor board began to beep. She glanced down and saw two blips at the edge of the black holes, transmitting the transponder codes for _Gentlemen's Caller _and _Millennium__ Falcon._

Jaina's heart leaped into her throat as she realized that she could feel her twin's presence aboard the _Falcon._ She almost started crying for joy, but caught herself. Her wish had come true! Her entire family was out there!

She cleared her throat, then hit the transmit button on her comm. "Civilian ships, this is Lieutenant Solo. Follow the usual vector into Docking Bay One," she said formally. She continued in a less formal tone. "And let me say, I'm glad to see you all here."

"Glad to be here," Han Solo answered, and Jaina could picture him smiling lopsidedly. "I'd say that we've got a surprise on board, but I've just been informed that you already know what it is."

"Did you think that I wouldn't?" she asked, maneuvering her snubfighter so that she was headed for Docking Bay Three, where Twin Suns kept its fighter. "Anyway, I'll let you go so you can concentrate on landing that hunk of junk. Force knows how bad a landing you would make if I was ruining your concentration by talking."

Jaina heard her father's grumbles, but not the words. Her mother's voice dominated the comm channel. "We'll see you down on the base."

"Copy," Jaina said, then clicked off her comm. She entered the docking bay first, landed her X-wing smoothly, and ran through her post-flight checklist in record time before shutting down the fighter's engines. She popped the canopy and vaulted lightly to the floor beside her ship. She waved up at Cappie, her astromech. She looked up and noticed that Jag was, as usual, already done with his clawcraft and striding towards her. She waited until he was at her side before heading off towards Docking Bay One.

"So, what is this surprise that your father mentioned?" Jag asked as they reached Docking Bay One.

Jaina turned to regard him and gave her husband a secretive smile. "You'll see soon enough," she told him, pointing to the battered Corellian freighter. "Just wait a few more moments."

By this time, the couple had reached the _Falcon_. Jaina looked up and, for probably the billionth time in her life, watched the boarding ramp descend. She saw shadowed movement in the corridor, then a young man descended the ramp at almost a dead run.

His hair was longer than it had ever been, but just as messy, and slight stubble covered his chin and cheeks. He was taller than she remembered and much thinner, but there was still vibrant life evident in his brandy-colored eyes.

Jaina let herself be caught up in her twin's embrace. She held on tight, as if it would be the last embrace they ever shared. Jaina felt the bond she shared with her twin flare back to life, stronger than it had ever been before, although not as all-consuming. The shields they both had up kept Jaina from reading too much of Jacen’s mind, but for now, it was enough for her to be able to feel his presence and his surface thoughts and emotions. Reluctantly, Jaina pulled out of her brother's arms and held him out at arm's length.

Jacen spoke. "You know, Sis, I've always thought that you were beautiful, but right now, you're rivaling Mom."

Jaina laughed out loud. She was still in her orange flightsuit with most of her hair in a thick braid. What hair that wasn't pulled back was plastered to her head from being in a helmet. She was wearing no makeup, and still had some grease on her face from working on her X-wing earlier.

"And right now, you're rivaling Dad for scruffiness," she countered, throwing her arms around him once more.

"I heard that," Han said, coming down the ramp, his arm around Leia. Following them were Tahiri and Tarc, the little boy who looked so much like Anakin Solo that it broke Jaina's heart sometimes to look at him.

Jaina pulled away from her twin and ran to her parents, giving them both a hug and kiss on the cheek. She then gave both Tahiri and Tarc a hug and smile. She turned back to her twin and found him looking dubiously at Jag. She smiled in spite of herself and moved to stand beside her husband.

"Jag, this is Jacen Solo, my twin," she introduced. "Jacen, this is Colonel Jagged Fel, Twin Suns Three." Jag executed a quick, but formal, bow. Jacen just inclined his head toward Jag.

_I sure hope that Jacen doesn't pull the overprotective brother trick, _she thought. _I hope those two just get along. I love them both dearly. I would hate it if they couldn't get along._

Everyone was saved from an uncomfortable silence by Lando and Tendra Calrissian's approach. They strode across the docking bay to the _Falcon_, talking quietly. Jaina rushed over to them and gave them both a hug.

"I'm glad you're both safe," she told them. "I got worried when I didn't hear anything about you Lando."

Lando chuckled. "It'll take more than the Vong to get rid of me." He paused and continued quietly. "But thanks for caring."

Luke Skywalker chose that moment to make his entrance, striding down the _Falcon_’s ramp like he hadn’t a care in the world, a young woman wearing a New Republic military uniform trailing behind him. Mara rushed down the ramp past him and the young woman, sparing just a smile for Jaina before leaving the bay just short of a dead run. _Headed to get Ben from Tionne, most likely._ Jaina greeted her uncle with a hug before turning to the woman behind him. "Jaina Solo," she said, holding out her hand.

The woman shook her hand. "Commander Taesa Andryh." Taesa was taller than Jaina by a few centimeters, but quite thin. Her features were striking and reminded Jaina of an old holo-actress. She had black hair and green eyes and could have been superficially confused for Jag’s sister. _Or Kyp’s or Zekk’s, for that matter._

The thing that struck Jaina the most, though, was her name. _Taesa Andryh._ Jaina had heard that name before, but couldn't put her finger on when.

Taesa must have noticed Jaina's bafflement. "I’m a medical doctor who was drafting into working on the Vong biotechnology on Borleias. I’ve had former Vong prisoners and slaves as patients and studied the biological effects that their implants have on them. It seems like I was one of the best people to try to figure out how the Vong do what they do. General Antilles wanted to get me and my knowledge out of the war zone and Master Skywalker agreed to let me come here, especially once he identified some latent Force-talent in me.”

“What about Danni?” Jaina asked, wondering why Uncle Luke would only bring one of two Force-gifted scientists to the Maw.

“I believe that Miss Quee is still flying with the Wild Knights,” Taesa answered. “She didn’t want to give up her work with the squadron. And as she’s a civilian and has never been under military orders, it was her decision to make, unlike me.”

"I hate to break off this lovely conversation,” Han interrupted before Jaina had a chance to respond, “but I'd like to get to my quarters and settled in. We're here for the long haul, and I want to get rested before anything can happen."

Jaina turned and looked incredulously at her parents. Her father looked dead serious. "You're joking, right? You must be joking. My parents, willingly staying out of the fight? No way."

"He’s not joking, and we're not doing this willingly," Leia answered her eldest. "Wedge--General Antilles--_requested_ that we come out here to stay and aid in the Jedi defense, in case the Vong attack. We're in the same position you were in when you came here."

_Not really,_ Jaina thought but didn't voice. When she had come to the Jedi Shelter, she had been newly married, Jacen had still been in Vong captivity, and her aunt and uncle had been on Vong-held Courscant. Things had seemed much worse then. Jaina had thought that her entire family would wind up dead, and that she and her cousin Ben would be the only ones left.

Now, however, her entire family, sans Anakin, was here, alive and healthy. Some of her friends were even here, though too many had been killed during the course of the war.

"Come on then, follow me," Jaina told everyone gathered. "I'll show you to Master Solusar's office. He'll figure out your room assignments." _And find Jag another room while we figure out a way to tell everyone about our marriage. _Jaina started walking, everyone falling into step behind her. As she led the rather large group through the corridors, a few of the Jedi students stopped and stared, but most ignored them, used to the strange occurrences at the new Jedi academy.

Within minutes, the group had reached Kam Solusar's office. He greeted everyone as they entered the spacious office. He gestured to seats around the room and everyone sat, except for Jaina and Jag.

Kam smiled at them. "Jaina, Jag, you are both welcome to stay. You don't need to leave," he said.

"Sorry, but we can't," Jaina answered him. "There's ship maintenance to be done, and then we have some live-fire exercises planned. I have to make sure my squadron stays in fighting trim." She smiled, knowing that her Twin Suns would never fall out of fighting trim. "But," she added, "I would like to speak with you later, when you have the time."

"Of course. Perhaps after your training exercises?"

"Fine by me. I'll see you then," she answered, smiling at the Jedi Master. She turned and left the room, Jag right on her heel. The door sighed shut quietly behind them.

Jag lengthened his stride slightly and caught up with his wife in seconds. He grabbed her hand and looked down at her. "When are we going to tell them?"

"As soon as we figure out a way to do it where my father doesn't shoot you on the spot," Jaina told him.

"Look, I'm no more anxious to tell them than you are," Jag told his wife. "I promised myself when we got married that as soon as we told your parents, I'd send a communiqué to my parents to let them know. My mother will be angry at me for keeping everything from her and my father will be angry with me for marrying a Rebel."

"No angrier than my parents will be," Jaina told him. "Remember, they were five minutes away when we were married, not on the other side of the galaxy, like your parents. But, after a while, they'll get over it; so will your parents. But for now, Kam's going to need to find another room for us. One of us needs to move out."

"I'll do it," Jag said. "Not because I want to get away from you, but because it'll be easier for me to move my stuff out of our quarters. I only have a few things of my own, so I can move them quickly without anyone knowing. Besides, the squadron leader should have her own quarters."

By this time, the couple had reached the docking bay. They entered, and started across the cavernous room in the general direction of their respective fighters. They stopped halfway between the X-wing and clawcraft.

"Don't get too dirty," Jaina told him. "I would hate to have to clean you up later."

"You'd enjoy it too much," Jag told her, laughing. He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss.

"I would. But I believe that my husband would enjoy it more."

"Well then, I should say that your husband is a very lucky man."

Jaina pulled Jag down for another kiss. She pulled back slightly, her face still mere centimeters from his. "Yes, but I'm luckier."

* * *

"First thing first, Kam," Han said as the door sighed shut behind Jag. "What's going on between those two, and how long has it been going on?"

Kam chuckled. "First, if something was 'going on' between them, it's none of my business. I'm the headmaster for the Jedi students, not the fighter pilots. Second, even if I did know something, I wouldn't feel right about just telling you. I suggest that you talk to your daughter or Colonel Fel about it."

"I just might do that," Han murmured and got a none-too-gentle poke in the side from Leia.

"Now, if you don't mind my asking, just why are all of you here?" Kam asked.

“Tendra is just making her normal supply run,” Lando answered. “Since she’s refused to let me out of her sight since I got back from Courscant, I’m just along for the ride.”

"The rest of us were assigned as part of your defense force," Leia continued. "General Antilles thinks that the Jedi students might need more than just one squadron of fighters protecting them. Also, if you do get attacked here, we can help evacuate the students, not just protect the base."

"Sound thinking," Kam said thoughtfully. "So, I guess that means that you all need rooms to stay in." Heads around the room nodded. Kam moved to sit down behind his desk and punched up an inquiry on his computer terminal. "Let me check something. I think we might have some spare rooms by the hangar bay, but I'm not quite sure." All was silent in the room for a few moments as the Jedi headmaster punched up some data on his terminal.

"Master Kam?" a voice interrupted the silence.

"Yes, Tahiri, what is it?"

"Would it be alright if I didn't stay with the rest of the students?" the young Jedi asked. "I'd like to stay with everyone here, if you have the space."

"Of course," Kam answered. "You won't have your own quarters, but space is kind of limited all over the base. Is that all right with you?" Tahiri nodded. Kam turned his attention to the boy sitting next to Tahiri. "I take it that you're Tarc?" The boy nodded. "You have your choice of where you want to stay. You can bunk with the Jedi students, or you can bunk with Jacen. Your choice."

"I'd like to stay with Jacen, sir," the young Anakin-look-alike answered.

"Okay, it looks like I've found you some rooms," Kam said, glancing at his computer screen. He stood and gestured toward the door. "If you'll follow me, I'll show you to your quarters and you can get settled in and get some rest." He exited his office, everyone following behind him. Once in the corridor, he continued. "Since you are part of our defense, I've put you as close as I can to hangar bay. The only people closer are Twin Suns Squadron."

After a moment of silence, Luke asked, "So how are the students doing, being cut off from civilization all the way out here?"

"Better than you would probably imagine," Kam answered. "Tionne still holds her history lessons, and even the non-Jedi children enjoy going to those. Streen teaches the younger students meditation and mind-blocking techniques. Kyp has taken up the challenge of teaching the older students how to wield their lightsabers effectively. I work with those ready to be apprenticed and help bring it all together before they're sent out as apprentices. I think that isolating them from the galaxy is helping them progress."

"And what about the non-Jedi children?" Leia asked, ever worried about everyone.

"You know that Mirax Horn is here, correct?" Leia nodded. "Well, she's taken on the role of teacher and surrogate mother very well. And as I said before, everyone enjoys Tionne's history lessons."

Kam stopped before a door and turned to Lando and Tendra. "Here on the right will be your quarters for as long as you need them before you need to leave. Leia and Han, you’re right across the corridor."

"Thank you," Han said, heading towards his room. "I can finally crash." Leia smiled and followed after her husband, while the Calrissians headed towards their own quarters.

"Jacen and Tarc, you'll be next to them, and Taesa and Tahiri, you'll be right across the corridor," Kam continued. "Luke, you, Mara, and Ben will be next to you."

"Where's Jaina's room?" Jacen asked before heading to his room.

"Two down from yours," Kam answered. "Kyp and Jag are right next to you. She's on the other side of them."

"Thanks," Jacen said. He put an arm around Tarc's shoulders. "Come on, kid. Let's get settled in." The two entered their room and the young women soon followed their example, leaving Kam and Luke alone in the corridor.

"Tionne is going to show Mara to your quarters, but I don't know how long that will be," Kam told his master. "She has a million questions about her pregnancy. She's talked to Mirax, but she wanted to talk to Mara as well."

"It might be a while then," Luke said. "Mara is by no means a gossipy housewife, but she does enjoy talking about Ben." Both men laughed. "Might as well use this time to rest up."

"Sleep well, Master," Kam told Luke as the latter entered his room. Kam turned around and started heading towards his office. _I sure hope Jag doesn't mind bunking with Kyp,_ he thought. _But if he does, it'll just get the marriage out in the open sooner._ Kam walked for a few moments, then thought, _It's not like they have any choice anymore._


	5. Chapter 5

_Jaina looked around at her surroundings. She knew where she was. Yavin 4. Ten meters to her left was the spot in the river where she and her friends had swum during breaks in their training. Looking though the vegetation in front of her, Jaina could see the Great Temple in the distance._

_Jaina blinked, trying to figure out why she was at this place, and in the time it took for her eyes to open again, she was somehow taken off of Yavin 4 and deposited in her parents’ apartment on Courscant. She knew the rooms like she knew the back of her hand; just down the hall were her and her brothers' old rooms, most recently a study and guest quarters._

_"This isn't right," Jaina said to herself. "This place was destroyed by the Vong." Her curiosity piqued, Jaina decided to investigate. She lifted foot to take a step…_

_...and found herself standing in the foyer of an unfamiliar place. Hoping that her surroundings wouldn't change until she got some answers, Jaina entered what looked like a formal sitting room._

_Looking around, Jaina noticed two things. First, that she was in a house. On the far side of the room, there was a flight of stairs leading to a second floor. Out the windows, she could see a sparsely forested yard._

_Second, she noticed that there were holos all around the room, on walls and on tables, dozens of them. She went to the nearest one and gasped in shock at what she saw. It was a wedding holo. Her brother's wedding holo._

_Jacen looked quite dignified in black Jedi robes. That wasn't what shocked her, though. It was the bride. She looked absolutely gorgeous in a floor-length, sleeveless white gown, with her long hair curling gently around her shoulders. It was the most beautiful that Jaina had ever seen Tahiri Veila look._

_Jaina moved on to the next holo, also from a wedding. Tenel Ka was resplendent in a beaded gown, with strands of Gallinore jewels woven into her hair. Ganner Rhysode wore his Jedi robes with pride, his love for Tenel Ka evident in his eyes._

_She decided to look at another wall of holos, but when she turned, there was a blinding flash of light and pain so bad that she couldn't bear it. She screamed…_

* * *

Jaina sat bolt upright in bed, gasping with phantom pain. _It was just a dream,_ she thought to herself. But it had felt so real. Everything had been so vivid. _Especially that last part._

She wanted nothing more than to wake up Jag and get his opinion on her dream. But when she turned to wake her husband, she was greeted by an empty bed. Jaina groaned and let herself fall back onto the bed, her right arm resting over her eyes.

She remembered now. Jag was bunking with Kyp until they figured out a way to tell Jaina's parents about their marriage. She had helped him move all of his belongings earlier that evening.

Jaina debated comming him and waking him up, but decided against it. Better that one of them got some sleep than neither of them.

A glance at the chrono elicited another groan from Jaina. She didn't have to be up for another four hours, but she was sure that she wasn't going to get anymore sleep. With a weary sigh, Jaina hauled herself out of bed and headed for the 'fresher.

Ten minutes later, she came back out, wearing nothing but a simple robe, her wet hair hanging down her back. She went to the dresser and pulled out a pair of gray slacks and a white shirt. She quickly got dressed, then pulled on a pair of boots.

"Hmm...What to do, what to do," Jaina murmured to herself. "I could tidy up my rooms. No, don't feel like it." She paused. "Tinker with my X-wing? Not in the mood." Another pause. "Tinker with the _Falcon_? No, Dad'll kill me." Another, longer pause. "I guess I just have to go for a walk." Out of habit, Jaina stuck a blaster in the holster at her side and clipped her lightsaber to her belt before leaving her quarters.

Jaina wandered around the deserted corridors of the base for nearly an hour before coming to a small meditation chamber. She had been in there a few times before, and had loved the view of the black holes that it gave her. She entered, hoping the spectacular view through the wall of transparisteel would help to clear her mind.

When the door hissed open, Jaina found that the room was already occupied. He looked up as she entered, and smiled. He patted the sitting pad beside him on the floor, gesturing for Jaina to join him.

Jaina complied and turned to regard her brother. She hadn't taken the time to notice earlier, but Jacen had gotten many scars while in Yuuzhan Vong captivity. The most noticeable traced a serpentine trail from his forehead, around his left eye, down his cheek, and under his left ear, to disappear into his hair. There was a hardness around Jacen's chocolate-colored eyes that would most likely always be there. Even in one of the safest places in the galaxy, his posture was rigid, as if he were ready to jump up and fight at any moment.

_He's a warrior now,_ Jaina thought. _He's finally lost all of his childish innocence. He's finally grown up. But at what price?_

"So, what are you doing up at this hour?" she asked him.

"I could ask you the same question," Jacen told her. He studied her intently, and she could feel him probing her through the Force. "You seem troubled. Come on, spill."

Jaina hesitated for a moment. Jacen could probably help her interpret her vision, but she wasn’t sure if she could tell him the entire thing. She knew that the last thing he needed to hear right now was that her subconscious or the Force or whatever wanted for him and Tahiri to be married someday.

Deciding that she could omit that little detail, as well as the fact of the holo of Tenel Ka and Ganner, Jaina spoke. "I had a dream, a vision probably," she explained. "First, I was on Yavin 4, then Mom and Dad's place on Courscant, and then...I don't know where the last place was. It was a large house, that's all I know. And then there was a blinding light and excruciating pain."

Jacen was silent a moment before speaking. "I don't know what to tell you, Sis. It's strange. You went to two places that have been destroyed. Do you think the last place has been destroyed, too?"

"I don't think so," she answered. "I don't think it's been built yet." Jaina hadn’t realized that she thought that, but it felt right, so she let it be. The silence stretched out longer this time. "But, you never answered my question. Why are _you_ up at this hour?"

Jacen turned to look at his twin and Jaina saw the haunted look in his eyes. "I have terrible nightmares, from my time with the Vong," he told her. "I don't think that I've gotten more than three consecutive hours of sleep since I was rescued."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Jaina asked, wrapping her arm around her brother’s waist and resting her head against his shoulder. She reached out through the Force, lending him some of her strength.

Jacen rested his head against hers. "Not yet," he told her. "I'm not ready yet. But thanks for the offer."

"No problem," she said quietly. "I'm here whenever you need to talk. Just come find me."

Jacen didn't answer, but his even breathing and sense in the Force told her that he had fallen asleep. She shifted and maneuvered him so that his head rested in her lap. She gently stroked his hair away from his face.

"Sleep well, dear brother," she said, almost inaudibly. She shifted her gaze from Jacen to the view visible through the transparisteel wall in front of her. Deciding that she might gain some clarity about her vision through meditation, Jaina stilled her emotions and regulated her breathing. Concentrating on nothing but her breathing, Jaina closed her eyes…

* * *

_She was back in the strange house, this time facing a different wall of holos. She studied the first picture in front of her._

_It was of her and Jag. She was in a bed, propped up by quite a few pillows, hair matted with sweat, smiling tiredly. He was bent down so that their heads were at the same level, his green eyes sparkling. They each held a newborn infant in their arms._

_"Twins," Jaina said in wonder. "We’re going to have twins. The Skywalker legacy."_

_She moved on to the next picture, which was not unlike the first. Jaina was sitting up in bed, an infant in her arms. The twins, a boy and a girl, now three or four, crowed around their mother, anxious to see their baby sibling. Jag was smiling down lovingly at his family._

_The next holo was a formal family portrait, taken a few years later, for the youngest, a girl, was now a toddler. The two girls had the same hair as Jaina, but had Jag's eyes. The boy had his father's dark hair and the brightest blue eyes that Jaina had ever seen. Almost the same shade as her younger brother’s eyes._

_"His name is Anakin," Jaina heard a voice behind her say. She whirled and cried out as she saw her baby brother standing in the doorway of the room. She ran to him and embraced him fiercely. She felt his arms tighten around her protectively even as she felt his mind reach out and caress hers. _

_After a moment, she pulled back to regard her dead brother. "Anakin, why am I here?" she asked._

_"You need to choose, Jaina," he answered. At her questioning look, he continued. "You either tell Mom and Dad about your marriage, and soon, or lose all of this."_

_"What? Anakin, I don't understand why Mom and Dad knowing about Jag and me is important. How could their now knowing keep me from this future?"_

_"If you tell our parents about your marriage, your twins will be conceived at the right time, and the war will be won. However, if you wait, you and everyone you love will be killed by the Vong, and they will win. You will lose all of this, like Yavin 4 and Courscant were lost. Jaina, the fate of the galaxy rests on your decision."_

_Anakin, and the house around him, started to fade into whiteness. "Anakin, wait! I need to know more!" Jaina called out worriedly. "Don't go! Not again!"_

_Everything around Jaina had completely faded away. Her white surroundings seemed to grow brighter. As she was on the verge of being blinded, she heard Anakin's voice: "Don't delay, Jaina. May the Force be with you."_

_The light kept growing brighter. Jaina squeezed her eyes shut, hoping to block it out, but the light seemed to be in her mind. She couldn't escape it._

_Suddenly, she was falling. Or maybe she had been falling the entire time and had only just noticed it. Whichever it was, Jaina was scared. She flailed around, trying to find purchase and screamed..._

* * *

Jaina jerked as she came out of her meditative trance. She about jumped to her feet, but the weight of Jacen's head on her lap stopped her. She looked down at the only brother she had left and sighed wearily.

She glanced at her wrist chrono and noted that her vision had lasted the better part of two hours. It was now only a little more than an hour before most of the base would be up and about.

Jaina gently shifted Jacen so that his head rested on the floor. She stood and winced as sore muscles tried to work. She stretched and pulled her comlink out of her pocket. She exited the meditation chamber and thumbed on the device in her hand and entered Jag's personal frequency.

After a moment, Jag's voice came groggily though the device. "Fel here."

"Sorry to wake you, but we need to talk," Jaina told her husband.

"Jaina? What's wrong?" Jag asked, his voice instantly alert.

"Not now. I'll explain later," she told him. "Meet me in the pilot's lounge in fifteen minutes. I'll tell you then."

"I'll be there in ten," Jag told her. "Fel out." The link was shut off from his end and Jaina tucked the device back in her pocket.

The pilot's lounge was actually a smallish maintenance room just off of Hangar Bay Three. Jaina set off at a brisk pace and got there in only a few minutes, entering from the opposite direction than she usually did. She flopped down on the couch nearest the door and set herself to wait for her husband.

Jaina had waited a little more than five minutes when her danger sense flared. She jumped up off the couch and had her lightsaber in hand before her feet hit the floor. She was warily surveying the room when an explosion rocked the base. A shock wave of pain radiated outward from the direction of the explosion.

Jaina left the lounge at a dead sprint. It felt like the explosion hadn't been far from the docking bays and Jaina headed down the corridor towards the living quarters, where smoke was billowing out into the surrounding spaces. The explosion had seemed small; hopefully, the base wasn't leaking atmosphere. If it was, then they were in serious trouble.

She rounded a corner and stopped dead in her tracks. A wall had collapsed, along with some of the ceiling, but there seemed to be no structural damage. However, that wasn’t what stopped her forward momentum. It was Jag. He was sprawled on the ground against a wall, a piece the ceiling pinning his body in place. Blood trailed along the side of his face and blossomed across his shirt.

Jaina ran to him and skidded to a halt on her knees beside him. She tried to use the Force to shift the rubble off of him, but she couldn’t concentrate, not with Jag’s blood pooling on the floor around her. She placed her hand against his chest and could feel his lifeblood and life force slowly leaking away. He was dying and there was nothing Jaina could do to stop it.

_No, Jag, don't leave me!_


	6. Chapter 6

Jaina pushed futilely at the rubble that was not-so-slowly killing Jag. She wasn’t weak by any definition of the word, but she also wasn’t strong enough to move the chunk of ceiling that held her husband in place. She felt absolutely helpless. She couldn’t even try to perform any of the healing techniques she had learned as a student at the Jedi academy; her mind was too clouded for her to concentrate enough. She didn’t want to inadvertently end up hurting Jag by doing something wrong.

Time seemed to stop. Each second lasted a lifetime or more. The only two people in an entire universe of the destroyed corridor were Jaina and Jag. The only thing that mattered was Jag’s continued survival and subsequent recovery, but Jaina couldn’t see any way that Jag could survive the next few seconds, let alone the next few minutes, hours, days, years.

Abruptly, Jaina was pulled up and away from Jag. She tried to protest, but her voice refused to form the words. She was pulled back against someone’s chest as arms encircled her shoulders from behind. Finding that her legs could no longer support her weight, Jaina collapsed against the body behind her. The arms around her tightened their hold, keeping her from falling to the ground.

Jaina could only watch as her uncle moved forward to lift the rubble from Jag’s body using the Force. After that was out of the way, Telki and Taesa hurried past Luke and kneeled beside Jag, blocking Jaina’s view of him. She could feel Telki using the Force to try to stabilize Jag as Taesa, who had no training in the Jedi healing arts, did what she could to assist her fellow healer.

The two healers seemed to be working on Jag for an eternity. Finally, they stood, allowing Luke to Force-lift Jag onto a repulsor-stretcher that Jaina hadn’t noticed before. Taesa lifted Telki and deposited her on Jag’s legs so that the little Chanda Fan could continue her ministrations as they moved towards the med ward.

Jaina gasped as an image from the past flashed before her eyes. Her brother Anakin being Force-carried through the worldship at Myrkr as Telki straddled his legs, her arms almost completely inside his torso as she tried to heal his wounds and save his life.

As suddenly as the vision came, it was gone and Jaina was left in the present, watching as Taesa hustled the stretcher down the corridor.

“Jaina?”

Realizing that she had no idea who was supporting her, Jaina craned her neck to look up and over her shoulder. Kyp had clearly been woken by the explosion, but his eyes were nothing but alert and calculating. “Can you stand on your own?”

“I think so,” she replied weakly, straightening slowly. Kyp released her from his embrace, but kept his hands resting steadily on her shoulders. She could feel his strength flowing into her and that was the only thing that kept her from collapsing against him once again.

“He’ll be all right,” Kyp reassured her quietly. “I know Taesa and you know Telki. They’ll do everything in their power to make sure that he makes a complete recovery. He’ll be back on his feet in no time.”

Nodding weakly, hoping that Kyp was right, Jaina turned her eyes to the crowd that was starting for form at either end of the corridor. Students were on tiptoe, trying to see what was going on. Jaina’s pilots were doing their best to keep everyone away from the blast site. Jaina, Kyp, and Luke were the only ones near the destruction.

“I’m going to the med ward,” Jaina told her uncle. “If you need me for any reason, that’s where you can find me.”

With that, she stepped away from Kyp’s touch but not his strength, which she could still feel through their bond. Head held high, Jaina walked towards the crowd, which parted to let her through. She passed her parents as she worked her way through the crowd, but didn’t stop or even acknowledge them in any way.

_I don’t have time for them right now,_ she thought to herself. _I need to be with Jag. I have to be there if the worst happens. _She shied away from the thought, but it crept into her mind anyway.

* * *

"When did she grow up so much?" Han asked his wife. "When did she become an adult?"

"A long time ago," Leia answered, watching their daughter's receding back. "Back when she first joined the Rogues; when her first friend died." Leia watched, worried, as she felt Jaina struggle with her anger. _Don't give in again, Jaina. It's not worth it._

A crowd had started to gather, held back by Jaina’s pilots, but parted to let Jacen through. He looked at the rubble, surprise and worry written all over his face. "What happened here?" he asked, turning to Luke.

"There was some sort of explosion," he answered his nephew. "Jag was caught in it. He's on his way to the medical bay. Taesa and Telki think he'll be okay."

Leia reached out to feel her son's reaction to the news and had to use all of her diplomatic training to keep her surprise off of her face. Jacen had barriers up like she'd never encountered before. They were higher and stronger than even Jaina's had been in the past few months. She couldn't even read his surface thoughts or emotions. He definitely didn't want anyone to know what he was thinking or feeling.

"That's good," Jacen said, relief in his tone. Leia got the distinct impression that the relief was an act, though, and that he was anything but relieved.

_But why would he do that? _Leia wondered. _He might not like Jag, but he wouldn't wish him dead. Would he?_ Leia had to admit to herself that she didn't know her son anymore. His experiences with the Vong had changed him; he wasn't the same person he had been six months before. _But could he have changed so much?_

"Kyp, you know the base better than anyone else here," Mara was saying while holding Ben against her chest protectively. "Is there anything around here that could have exploded like this?"

"Not to my knowledge," he answered. "There's nothing below us but maintenance tunnels. Right above us is the lightsaber training room. On both sides of the corridor are personal quarter. I don't think that anyone's assigned to them."

"So this had to have been deliberate," Luke surmised, his brow furrowed. "Someone on the base is a traitor."

"Whoa, kid, hold on a second," Han said, turning to look at his brother-in-law. "Aren't you jumping to conclusions here?"

"It's the only explanation, Han," Leia said, coming to her brother’s defense. "I'm not getting much insight, but something sinister is definitely going on here, that much I can sense."

By this time, most everyone had left to either get a little more sleep or to get ready for the day, except for the small group gathered around the blast spot. They all looked around at each other warily. It was unthinkable that one of them was able to do this sort of thing. Leia could feel the suspicion and paranoia growing with each passing moment. She gazed at her companions, knowing that they could never kill someone in cold blood, but her gaze always came back to rest on Jacen.

_Jacen was in Vong captivity for months. They could have broken him, implanting something in his head to make his do this,_ a little voice in Leia's head nagged. _You never had him checked for Vong implants. Because of that, you might have just brought about the end of the Jedi._

_Shut up! _Leia commanded the voice. _Jacen would never be broken. He's too strong. He could never do this. I know my son._

_Are you sure?_the little voice asked. _Would you bet your life on it? What about all the people on this rock? What about the galaxy?_

Leia knew the answer to that. As she looked at the puzzle that was her son, she hoped that the little voice wasn't right. _If it is, then I've just condemned the galaxy to destruction._


	7. Chapter 7

Jaina stared through transparisteel and bacta at Jag. Most of his body was covered in second- and third-degree burns. He had cuts and abrasions all over. According to Telki, he also had major internal injuries. She and Taesa had worked for what seemed like an eternity trying to stabilize him before unceremoniously dumping his body in the bacta tank.

Taesa and Telki came and stood on either side of Jaina. "Telki put him in a healing trance before we put in him the tank," Taesa told her. "It probably won’t work as well on him as it would on a Jedi, but we think it might help some. At least, it can't hurt."

"How long until you can pull him out?" Jaina asked quietly.

"Five to seven days," Telki answered. The little Chanda Fan looked up at Jaina. "He was very close to the explosion, almost as if it was set to detonate when someone was close enough." She paused for a moment. "Anyway, the blast caused major damage, and the piece of debris landing on him only worsened his condition. Some of the scars may never heal."

Jaina nodded, not looking at either of her companions. She continued to look at Jag, silently thanking the Force that he was going to be okay. After a few moments, the two healers left, leaving Jaina alone with her thought once more.

She didn't know how long she stood like that, arms crossed over her chest, feet spread apart slightly, before she felt her parent's join her. She didn't turn and greet them, or even acknowledge their presence. In fact, she completely ignored them.

Finally, Leia spoke. "You're taking this harder than I took your father being frozen in carbonite."

"Yeah, well you two weren't married at the time," Jaina told her mother not-quite-snidely.

"And you are?" Han asked sarcastically.

"Our one month anniversary was three days ago," she told him, finally turning to look at her parents, wondering at their reactions.

Her mother looked shocked, but also like something finally made sense to her. Han didn't disappoint either. His eyebrows shot up to nearly his hairline, his eyes widened to saucer-size, while his jaw nearly dropped from his face. He looked incredulously at his only daughter.

"What?"

"Jag and I got married one month and three days ago," Jaina said slowly, as if speaking to a child. "Fifteen minutes before we left Borleias. He moved all of his stuff into Kyp's room when you showed up here. We were trying to figure out some way to tell you where you wouldn't shoot him on the spot."

Han seemed about to go into a rage, but Leia stopped him with a hand on his arm. She turned to her daughter. "Why didn't you want us to know?" she asked quietly, hurt evident in her voice.

Jaina visibly struggled for a moment to come up with an answer. "Because Dad would've acting like he is now, and you would have tried to talk us out of it," Jaina finally answered quietly. "We just wanted a quietly little ceremony, which we got."

"But then why didn't you just tell us?" Leia persisted.

"Because of this!" Jaina exploded. "Because I knew that you would react like this. We just wanted to be happy! We didn't want our parents to freak out, but I guess that was a given, wasn't it?" Her voice now held more venom than ever before. She looked her parents in the eye and continued, letting her voice drop the venom and become almost pleading. "Can't you just be happy that I found someone to love and spend the rest of my life with? Can't you forget your opinions of Jag for just one minute, and be happy for us?"

"We are happy for you," Leia told her daughter quietly. "We're upset and disappointed that you didn't tell us earlier about this. And no matter what you think, we don't hate Jag. We think that he's a nice young man. And don't pay attention to what your father says about him. He's just being overprotective."

Jaina turned back around so that she could look at Jag floating in the bacta. "If you don't mind, I'd like to be alone now," she told her parents over her shoulder. Neither Han nor Leia said a word, but Jaina felt them leave. She continued to gaze at Jag, wondering which scars would heal and which ones wouldn't.

_Well, Anakin, looks like I didn't have much of a choice about telling Mom and Dad, _Jaina thought, hoping somehow that her brother would hear her. _Now all I have to do is tell everyone else. Somehow, I have a feeling that'll be harder than telling Mom and Dad._

Jaina sighed, not looking forward to the experience any.

* * *

"You're what?" Mara asked, incredulously.

"Jag and I are married," Jaina repeated.

It was three hours after her encounter with her parents in the medical bay. She had gathered the rest of her family that didn't yet know about the marriage in the lecture hall at the center of the base. They had all been sitting comfortably until Jaina's revelation. Now, Mara was on her feet, her stance indicating what she thought of the union.

"Isn't this a little soon?" the red-haired woman asked. "A little rash?"

"Don't talk to me about rash decisions!" Jaina exclaimed, jumping to her feet in front of her aunt. "I remember when you and Uncle Luke got engaged. You went on that mission acting barely civil to each other and you come back totally in love and engaged. Don't you _dare_talk to me about rash decisions!"

“You were ten years old at the time!” Mara shot back. “How would you know what went on between your uncle and me before that mission? You were just a child!”_**  
**_  
"Calm down," Luke interjected, placing himself between the two women. "Both of you. What's done is done and can't be changed. So stop this useless bickering."

"Fine," Mara conceded first, returning to her seat. Jacen, who had been handed Ben when Luke stood up, passed the child to his mother.

"Jaina?" Luke persisted, turning to look fully at his niece. He noticed for the first time how weary she looked. _Almost losing the person you love more than anything can do that to you. I should know._

"Fine," she said. "Whatever. I'm really not in the mood to fight about this right now. It's not like I have to justify myself and our reasons to you people." She turned and headed towards the door. "If you need me, I'll be in my quarters, trying to get some sleep," she called over her shoulder.

Luke returned to his seat next to his wife. He slouched down in the chair and turned to Mara. She was clearly upset about Jaina's marriage, but seemed to be trying to work through it. He caught sight of Jacen sitting on Mara's other side, looking shell-shocked. Luke inquired if he was alright.

Jacen didn't seem to hear his uncle. He asked in a clearly confused voice, "Jaina's married?"

* * *

Jaina lay on her back in bed, staring at the ceiling. She had left the lecture hall nearly four hours ago, but hadn't closed her eyes for more than the time it took to blink. Though she was bone weary, she was afraid to fall asleep, afraid of having another vision. So she had stared at her ceiling, trying to divine the secrets of the universe from the sound-absorbing tiles.

She wasn't having much luck in this endeavor when a knock on her door made her nearly jump out of her skin. She took a couple of calming, deep breaths before getting out of bed and pulling a robe on over her pajamas. She walked across the room, disengaged the lock mechanism on the door, and pushed the button that opened the door.

"Come on in, Uncle Luke," Jaina said, stepping out of the way so that the Jedi Master could enter. As soon as he was in the room, the door _swoosh_ed shut behind him, darkness engulfing the room. "Lights: level one." The lights came on dimly, just enough so navigating the room wasn't hazardous.

"I hope I didn't wake you," Luke said, taking a seat on one of two chairs salvaged from an old capital ship. Jaina sat in the middle of the bed, facing her uncle.

"No, I wasn't asleep," she answered. "I was just laying here." She looked at Luke for a moment, silent. "I'm scared to go to sleep, or meditate for that matter."

Jaina felt Luke's probe as he spoke. "What's wrong? Why are you scared?"

"I had a vision last night," she started. "That's why I was up at such an ungodly hour. I went for a walk and found Jacen in a meditation chamber. We talked, he fell asleep, and I tried meditating. The vision came again, and I saw Anakin there. He told me that the fate of the galaxy rested on when I told you all about Jag and I being married. That's why Jag was heading for the pilot's lounge so early. We were going to talk about it. I guess that really has no relevance now."

"Tell me about your vision," Luke persisted, looking intently at Jaina. "Why are you scared of having another one?"

Jaina tore her gaze away from her uncle's and recounted her vision to him in full detail, leaving nothing out. She told him of the wedding holos, the holos of her family, and of Anakin's warning to her. "That's not what I'm scared of, though. I'm scared of the pain. It hurt so much; I felt like I was dying. I don't ever want to feel that again." Jaina felt tears forming and pooling in her eyes. She looked down at her hands, could see them shaking. She tried to will them to be still, but to no avail.

Luke noticed and moved from his perch on the chair to sit across from Jaina on the bed. He took her shaking hands in his steady ones. "It's okay to be afraid. Just don't let it consume you. That leads to the Dark Side. I know you know its dangers, so I won't preach to you. I just want to let you know that your family loves you, and we would hate it if you fell again."

Jaina couldn't keep the tears back anymore. They made tracks down her cheeks, and dripped from her face onto the bedspread, leaving tiny, dark spots. She began to sob and Luke pulled her into a tight embrace, holding her close. She sobbed into his chest, his shirt absorbing her tears. He rocked her gently, side to side, and stroked her thick hair in an effort to calm her, but he offered no words. After a while, her sobs and tears stopped, but she still clung tightly to her uncle.

"Feel any better?" he asked, still stroking her hair.

"Yes," Jaina answered truthfully. "I guess I've needed a good cry for a while now."

Luke pulled back slightly so her could see his niece's face. "But this isn't the reason that I came here."

"No, I figured it wasn't," Jaina said, scooting back so that her back was against the headboard of the bed. She patted the bed beside her, gesturing for Luke to join her.

Luke got himself comfortable and then turned his head to look at Jaina. "Kam and I have been discussing the situation that you're currently in. Namely, you're an apprentice, and you're married. And according to Jedi mandate, apprentices are not allowed to marry.

"Even though you've been with the Rogues, away from Mara, for almost four years, you are still technically her apprentice. I'm hoping you see the problem here." Jaina nodded mutely. "Kam and I have come up with a solution. After Jag comes out of bacta, I will officially announce your Knighthood.

"I want you to realize one thing, though. I'm not doing this because you're my niece and you’ve gotten yourself into a sticky situation. I'm doing this because you deserve it. Traveling to Myrkr to destroy the voxyn queen was your final trial. When I announce your Knighthood, I'll also announce that of all of the survivors of that mission."

Jaina stared at her uncle a moment before speaking. "You don't know how much this means to me," she said, her voice quiet and full of emotion.

"I think I have an idea," he told her, just as quietly. "You watched your brother die, and thought the other one died. For months you thought you were the only Solo child left. You fell in love, and broke every rule the Jedi have to be with him. Then your twin comes back. Your surviving family is finally all together again. And now, your childhood dream is coming true. Am I right?"

Jaina nodded and threw her arms around Luke again. She rested her chin on his shoulder. "I love you, Uncle Luke," she said, and Luke could feel her smile.

"I know," Luke said, throwing their family's oft used phrase at her. Jaina smacked him in the back of his head lightly, and she could feel his amusement and knew that he was smiling the same smile that Jaina herself did on occasion. "I love you, too."

She pulled back from him and pushed his shoulders lightly. "Now, leave. I'm tired, and I want to get some sleep."

"What about your visions?" Luke asked, getting up. He stood next to the bed and looked down at his niece.

"I don't care anymore," she answered. She pulled off her robe, threw it across the room. She climbed under the covers, shifting until she was comfortable. "If one comes, it comes. If one doesn't, all the better. I just have to trust in the Force."

Luke nodded, then leaned down and kissed Jaina on the forehead. "Sleep well," he told her quietly, heading toward the door. He opened the door and was about to step through when Jaina's voice stopped him.

"Give Aunt Mara and Ben my love," she called. Luke nodded, then stepped into the corridor, the door shutting behind him, leaving Jaina alone. "Lights off." They shut off, leaving the only illumination in the room from the bedside chrono. Jaina glanced at it: 13:57. Then, she rolled onto her side, her back to the chrono, and settled down into the old-fashioned mattress. She closed her eyes and was almost immediately engulfed by sleep's welcome embrace.


	8. Chapter 8

Kyp Durron had done many stupid things in his life. He had followed the teachings of the Sith Lord, Exar Kun. He had used the Sun Crusher to destroy Carida. He had stolen Qwi Xux's memory. He had chosen an aggressive and pro-active stance in the war against the Vong. And now, he was doing something just as stupid. He was going to visit someone who hated him more than the families of those killed on Carida.

The Jedi Master entered the small medical bay on the rock known as Shelter. Off to his left, there was an exam bad. A bacta tank was behind that, currently occupied by Jag Fel. To Kyp's other side, there was a private exam room. Right before him was a small open office with two small desks, the far wall covered with medical supplies.

"Master Durron, what can I do for you?" Telki asked, getting up from behind one of the desks. The little Chanda Fan healer moved around so that she was standing directly in front of Kyp. She was barely half as tall as he, and she craned her neck to look at his face.

"I was wondering if Taesa was here," Kyp answered, sitting down in a chair in front of the desks, so that Telki wouldn't strain her neck. "I wanted to speak with her."

"She's in the exam room, giving Ben Skywalker his monthly checkup," Telki told him. "She should be done shortly. Can I help you with anything in the mean time?"

"No, no," Kyp said, holding up his hands, palms outward. "This is a purely personal matter. Unless Taesa gets mad, I won't need your services as a healer. I'm hoping it won't come to that."

Telki looked at Kyp, confusion clearly written all over her alien features. "Why would she have reason to be upset enough to inflict harm upon you?"

Kyp was saved from having to answer as the door to the exam room opened. "He seems to be pretty much right on track, developmentally speaking, though he is a little small for his age," Taesa was saying to Mara. The healer walked out of the room, holding Ben and smiling at the child. "But his size comes from the fact that he's just taking after his parents. Just keep doing what you've been doing it, and he'll be just fine."

"Thanks," Mara said, following the healer from the room. She took the squirming child into her own arms and bounced him on her hip, trying to get him to settle down. "Ben, stop squirming," she told the child quietly, but firmly. The child almost immediately obeyed his mother.

"I'll see you next month, for his next checkup," Taesa said with a smile at the baby.

"We'll see you then," Mara said, leaving the small medical bay, humming to her son.

Taesa turned from the door to the small office that she and Telki shared. When she saw Kyp sitting there, her smile died, to be replaced by a stony frown. "Master Durron, it's quite a surprise to see you here," she said with barely concealed hostility. "Something I can do for you?"

"I think we need to speak," Kyp answered evenly. "Privately."

She turned to her fellow healer. "Telki, if you wouldn't mind..."

"No, of course not," the little Chanda Fan said. "Contact me on my comlink if anything comes up." Telki exited, leaving Kyp and Taesa alone in the small office.

The latter moved and sat behind her desk. She glared as Kyp as she asked, "Now, what do you want?"

"I was wondering how you've been doing," Kyp told her. "We haven't seen each other in fifteen years." He paused, but Taesa didn't say anything. "I was worried about you when Courscant fell."

"Sithspit!" Taesa exclaimed. "You've never worried about me, not even when we were in the mines on Kessel. You were always too busy thinking about yourself to worry about me."

"I've changed," Kyp said. "I've seen and done terrible things since then. I finally realized a few months ago how wrong I've been in my views. I'm not the same person you used to know. I've finally grown up."

"And why should I believe you?" she asked hostilely. "You've given me no real reason to."

"You still haven't forgiven me, have you?" Kyp asked, abruptly changing the subject. "You're still mad at me, aren't you?"

"And I shouldn't be?!" the healer asked, jumping to her feet. She glared down at Kyp. "You did nothing to stop Doole when he came and sold me to those slavers! You didn't try to rescue me after you were freed! You let me rot! You have no idea of the sick and humiliating things I was forced to do because of your inaction!"

"There was nothing I could do," Kyp told her, trying mightily to remain calm. "After my brush with the Dark Side, no one trusted me. And to tell you the truth, I thought you were dead. You were--are--such a spit-fire. I thought you would have rebelled against your master, and that he would have had you killed."

The silence stretched for uncomfortable moments, Taesa glaring down at Kyp, while he just gazed at her, expressionless. The only sound that interrupted the tense silence was that of the air circulation system.

"You didn't even tell anyone of me," Taesa said quietly, taking her seat once more. Kyp could still feel her resentment and anger simmering below the surface, but he took her outward calm as a good sign.

"Like I said, I thought you were dead," Kyp said, trying to justify himself. "It hurt too much to bring you up. Our brother's blood was on my hands. I thought yours was too."

"Why didn't you try to stop Doole?" she demanded. "You're my older brother; you were supposed to protect me!"

"And get myself killed?" Kyp asked incredulously.

"That's your problem!" the healer exclaimed. "If you really loved me, then you would have been willing to die to protect me!" She was now on her feet again, gesturing wildly with her hands. Kyp could see the tears pooling in her eyes, whether from sorrow or anger he couldn’t tell.

"I couldn't have changed anything," Kyp told her quietly, getting his own feet beneath him and standing also. He looked steadily into his sisters green eyes, so much like his own. "You still would have been sold to those slavers. Everything would have happened the same, except I would have been killed."

"You didn't even try!" The tears were now coursing their way down Taesa's cheeks. He voice was harsh and low. She sat down heavily in her chair.

Kyp walked around the desk and crouched next to her chair, taking her hands in his. He looked steadily into her eyes. "I know you'll never forget, but can you at least try to forgive me?"

"_Do or do no. There is no try,_" Taesa quoted the old Jedi maxim. "I won't try, but I won't do, either. I can never forgive you, Kyp. You ruined my life." She had stopped crying, though her cheeks were still wet with her tears. She pulled her hands away from Kyp and stood. He followed suit, and towered almost half a meter over her. "Now leave. I suppose living in close proximity will mean we will have to interact at times, but I won't go out of my way to talk to you. I would appreciate it if you did the same."

"Of course," Kyp answered stonily. He had come here to try to mend the rift between him and his sister. Instead, that rift had grown even wider. It was evident that Taesa would never forgive him. _Just another person to add to the list._

The Jedi Master turned and left the medical bay. As he stalked down the corridor, disappointment washed over him. _I had hoped that she might have learned how to forgive me. Now, she hates me even more than she did before._

Kyp was so deep in thought that he almost ran into Luke Skywalker as the latter exited Jaina's quarters. "My apologies, Master. I wasn't watching where I was going."

"No apology necessary, Kyp," Luke told him. "You seem troubled. If you don't mind my asking, what's got your attention so riveted?"

"I just had a talk with Taesa." And that explained everything. Luke knew of the animosity between the two, but didn’t know the reasons behind it. And Kyp intended to keep it that way. "It didn't go well."

"I'm sorry," Luke said, and he meant it sincerely. He had never had the same personal animosity between himself and another, not even Mara back when they first met and she was trying to kill him. He wasn’t sure how Kyp coped with such a relationship and still managed to function.

"Thank you, but you don't need to be. It's not your fault, it's mine," Kyp said. "I probably should have left well enough alone, but I had to go and bring up the past. Now, she'll never forgive me."

Luke gazed at his former student sympathetically. Kyp could feel the curiosity radiating from the other man. Luke desperately wanted to know what it was in the past that had caused the schism between Kyp and Taesa, but there was also the sense of acceptance that he would never know coming from him.

"Anyway, I'm going to leave her alone," Kyp continued into the suddenly tense silence. "No sense in bringing up painful memories anymore. It's like reopening a wound."

"Which is best to do if it's not healing properly," Luke countered quietly. "The rift between you two is growing. It will never heal this way."

"Maybe it's not meant to heal," Kyp said. Before Luke could try to argue, the pilot walked the short distance to his door and entered his quarters. He kicked off his boots and settled down in a corner to meditate. Maybe, by immersing himself in the Force, he could pretend that things were alright.

_Yeah right, _Kyp thought cynically. _Things'll never be alright between us again._


	9. Chapter 9

The Jedi Shelter, while small, did not feel cramped. The halls were fairly narrow, but tall, accommodating all almost every species. The small rooms were made to seem larger by not being overly furnished. The two small messhalls had high ceilings with tables spread out, creating the illusion of space. The main lecture hall was the largest room in the whole installation, and was still only a quarter the size of the Grand Audience Chamber in the temple on Yavin 4.

Condensed down into a simpler format, all this meant was there was a myriad of places to sabotage. At least that's all it meant to the Traitor.

The Traitor had gone around the base and studied it while everyone else slept. The Traitor had broken into Master Solusar's office and downloaded a full schematic of the base onto a datacard to be kept on its person at all times. After several inquiries, the Traitor had learned that Jaina Solo was always the first to go check on her X-wing in the mornings. The Traitor had placed a low yield proximity mine in the corridor leading from Solo's quarters to Docking Bay Three, hoping to catch her in the blast. As luck, or the Force, would have it, Jag Fel walked right into that little trap.

_Not that it bothers me any,_ the Traitor thought. _It threw Solo off kilter, making it easier for my next strike against her to succeed._

The Traitor glanced around at its surroundings, making sure that no one else was in the corridor. It was not a full day after Jag had triggered the mine. All of the debris in the hall had been cleared, and a temporary wall and ceiling had been erected.

The Traitor smirked and continued down the corridor to its original destination. At this early hour, no one was up and about, but still the Traitor was cautious, and it was slow going. Soon, though, the Traitor entered Docking Bay Three, home to Twin Suns Squadron. Seeing Jaina Solo's X-Wing sitting in the middle of the stained floor, the Traitor smiled.

Walking quickly over to the gleaming snubfighter, the Traitor pulled a creature out of its pocket. The creature was of Yuuzhan Vong origin, and the Traitor had been well versed on how to use it.

The Traitor clambered up the side of the X-wing and crouched just aft of the astromech station. The Traitor felt along the edges of the hole until it found what it wanted: the astromech data plug-in. Shifting so as not to fall, the Traitor reached in with both hands and secured the creature over the plug-in.

Its job done, the Traitor slid down the side of the X-wing and crouched on the ground, making sure its work had gone unnoticed. Satisfied that no one had seen it, the Traitor hurried back to its quarters. The Traitor entered its small room, hoping not to wake its roommate. Sliding back into bed, the Traitor sighed in relief. The room's other occupant was sound asleep and hadn't even stirred when the Traitor entered.

_Nothing can go wrong now, _the Traitor thought. _And if it does, it's not my fault._ The Traitor slipped into unconsciousness with thoughts of Jaina Solo's death forefront in its mind.

_Soon._


	10. Chapter 10

The occupant of the room probably knew that Luke was standing outside in the corridor, but Luke knocked anyway.

"It's open," Luke heard Tionne call. Taking that as an invitation to enter, he keyed the door open and stepped into the smallish quarters of Kam and Tionne Solusar. Tionne sat stretched across the couch, her feet propped up on some cushions, her swollen belly evident, even through the baggy Jedi robes she was wearing. To Luke, it looked like the woman was a balloon about ready to pop.

"You must excuse me for not getting up," she said, setting aside a datapad that she had been studying. "I've found lately that getting comfortable is a very rare occurrence. So, when I do get comfortable, I don't like moving for a while."

"Perfectly alright," Luke told her, taking a seat in a chair across from her. "I can't relate, but I do remember when Mara was nine months along."

Tionne laughed. The sound was smooth and melodical, like every sound that came from the minstrel's mouth. "Kam should be along any time," she said. "He was teaching some of the older students about Jedi philosophy. And, if I know Valin Horn, there's probably a good debate going on right now."

"Valin disagrees with the philosophy?" Luke asked with a frown.

"No," Tionne answered. "He just enjoys debating everything that Kam says."

Luke chuckled. _Sounds a lot like his father._

The door swooshed open, and Luke turned as Kam entered. The Jedi Headmaster looked a little haggard, but none the worse for wear. His dark blue almost black Jedi robes rustled along the floor as he walked, but his stride was not a shuffling one.

"Sorry for making you wait, Luke," Kam said. He went to the end of the couch, gently lifted Tionne's feet, moved the cushions, and sat down in their spot, resting his wife's feet in his lap. He began to rub her slightly swollen ankles.

"No apology necessary," Luke told him. "I've only been here a few minutes myself. And, believe it or not, Tionne is wonderful company."

"Yes, I know," Kam said with a smile. He moved from rubbing Tionne's ankles to massaging her feet. "I'm the one married to her, remember?"

"Hey, I'm still here," Tionne said indignantly. Luke couldn't help but smile at the expression on her face. It was evident that she was trying to be stern, but the smile playing at the corners of her mouth ruined the expression.

"We know that, dear," Kam replied with a smile. He returned his attention to Luke. "If I may ask, is there a reason you wanted to see me?"

"We need to figure out a way to root out our traitor," Luke told him grimly. "We know we have one, we just don't know who it is, or how we can get the information."

Kam's smile disappeared and was replaced by a stony expression. "Do you have any suspects?"

"Too many," the other man said with a frown. "Anyone who's had any direct contact with the Vong, all of Twin Suns, and everyone that came in on the _Falcon _and the _Caller._"

"It seems that the easiest way to do things is to have everyone checked out for Vong implants," Kam suggested.

"But what if our traitor is willingly working with the Vong, like the Peace Brigadiers?" Tionne interjected. "Then your plan doesn't work."

"Then we're in real trouble," Luke said, worry etched all over his features. "We just have to hope that's not the case."

* * *

Jaina entered the lightsaber training room on the level above her quarters. She knew there was no class scheduled, but as she entered the spacious room, she saw an emerald blade batting away stun darts from a remote. The room was dim, and Jaina had to squint to see who it was that was wielding the deadly blade. After a few minutes, the remote shut itself off and the emerald blade was extinguished. Jaina dialed the lights up a few levels. "Nice job, Jacen," she called to her twin.

"Thanks," Jacen called back, moving to stand across from Jaina. "I'm still a little rusty, though. I need practice against a live opponent."

Jaina replied to her brother's veiled invitation by igniting her violet blade and holding it at her side. "I'm in the mood for a good spar."

Jacen re-ignited his lightsaber and held it in a forward guard position. "I was hoping you would say that."

Jaina brought her blade up and immediately went on the offensive. Jacen easily caught her cuts and slashes with his emerald blade. He sidestepped away from her next attack and tried to exploit a weakness he saw in her defense, but Jaina easily anticipated his move and had her own blade at the ready as Jacen attacked. As he attacked again, Jaina flipped over his head, inverting in midair, and tried to attack her brother's exposed flank, but his lightsaber was there, stopping her blade.

Both were leaning into the deadlock, pushing all of their considerable strength into it. Their faces were centimeters apart when Jacen suddenly asked, "Do you really love Jag?"

Surprise shown evident on Jaina's face, but her blade didn't waver. "I love him more than anything else in the galaxy," she replied, her voice strained as she tried to talk and fight at the same time. It didn't quite work, and Jacen took advantage of her surprise to push harder, knocking his twin back. She almost fell, but got her hands beneath her and did a back flip away from Jacen, being careful not to dismember herself. She came up with her lightsaber in a guard position, and just in time, as Jacen was there, trying to find a weakness.

Both twins cut and parried, slashed and flipped, trying to disarm the other without inflicting harm. Jacen jumped over a slash aimed at his knees. Jaina ducked away from a cut aimed for her head. Soon, however, their blades were caught in another deadlock, neither willing to concede a centimeter to the other.

"Are you sure that you were right in getting married so young?" Jacen asked, his voice hoarse and strained, sweat pouring down his face in rivulets.

"It was the right thing to do," Jaina told him, her own voice strained, sweat covering her face and neck. "We both knew it. We decided not to wait because we didn't have to. We loved each other; it didn't--doesn't--matter what others think."

Jacen pulled away from his sister slightly, and when she tried to press her advantage, he twisted his wrist, and sent her lightsaber flying away into the shadows. He held the tip of his blade a dozen centimeters from Jaina, pointed at her throat. "I win."

"Congratulation," Jaina said, calling her lightsaber to her hand. Jacen extinguished his blade and clipped it to his belt as Jaina did the same.

"I'm sorry for the questions," he told her. "It's just... I've been gone for months, and for some reason, I expected things to be the same between us when I got back. I was always the one that you loved the most, and you were always the one that I loved the most. Now, suddenly, Jag's in the picture, and I'm second best. I might not have minded as much, except that I didn't know him before two days ago. I know almost nothing about my sister's husband."

"You knew him before that," Jaina said. "I know you did. You met him on Ithor, right before the battle."

"I knew _of_ him," Jacen corrected. "I saw him insult all the politicians, and I saw him introduce himself to you. Jag and I actually never met. We were never introduced. In fact, we never actually spoke to each other, either. The first introduction we had was the one you gave us when I showed up here."

"I'm sorry, Jacen," she said, throwing her arms around her twin. "I thought you two had been introduced. Not that I would have done anything different had I known that you two didn't know each other."

Jacen laughed, and it warmed Jaina's heart to hear him do so. He was carrying a lot of baggage from his time in Vong captivity. His being able to laugh was a sign that he was at least trying to move on. Jacen pulled back from his sister and rested his hands on her shoulders. "Now, because you’re my sister and I love you, I'm going to tell you this so you don't have to hear it from someone else." He paused dramatically. "You stink. Go take a shower."

Jaina glared at him, then laughed at his perfectly serious expression. "Well, you don't exactly smell like a spring day on Yavin 4 either. Maybe you should take your own advice."

Jacen's expression cracked, a smile stretching from ear to ear. He threw an arm around Jaina's shoulders. "I think I will," he told her as he led her out of the room. "Just as long as you promise me you will too."

"Don't worry, oh wise brother of mine," she said. "I know good advice when I hear it."


	11. Chapter 11

_Excruciating pain, like nothing he had ever felt before. They had stuck him in something that inflicted pain every time he tried to struggle or even move in the slightest. They had taken some sort of blade, and cut his face. He had thought that they were going to slice his face right off his head._

_Eventually, he had passed out, from blood loss and pain. The escape of unconsciousness brought him blissful nothingness for a short time. Soon, though, they figured out how to torture him even in his dreams._

_They would show him images of him fighting his sister in a death duel. Sometimes, he would win and would then be killed in a glorious sacrifice. Sometimes, his sister would win, with the same end results. Always, they would both end up dead._

_A few times, they would show him images of his friends. He was sure that they were somehow stealing the information from his brain, but he could do nothing to stop them. Pictures of a grieving Tahiri, Tenel Ka as queen, and Lowie tinkering with some machine all pervaded his dreams. But always, in those visions, the Vong would come and restrain his friends as he himself killed them in cold-blood._

_Every few hours, he would awaken, screaming. He knew that he had been broken. They had broken him with his brother's death. Now, they were trying to shape him into their image. They wanted him to be just like them. They hated everything that was even remotely different from them._

_For months, they had tortured him, trying to implant false memories in his head. They had partially succeeded, when an unlikely being had come to his rescue._

_The "rescue" and becoming Jacen Solo again had been almost more painful than becoming an Yuuzhan Vong. Vergere had to use the Force to pierce through layers of Vong memories. She had to forcefully pull his other memories to the surface. After every session, he was left barely alive, his throat raw from screaming_

_After what seemed like an eternity, his family had come to rescue him. There had been a great battle aboard the worldship, with many Vong left dead afterwards. Vergere had tried to escape and come with them, but had been struck by an amphistaff as she ran. She had fallen dead fifteen meters from their escape ship._

_The image of the feathered Jedi falling dead, her lifeless eyes staring at nothing and everything at the same time, haunted Jacen: in his dreams, in meditation, at odd moments during the day._

_Now, that image came, along with remembered pain. Somehow, it felt worse than it had the first time. He began to scream..._

Tahiri glanced at her wrist chrono as she left the meditation chamber: 18:11, time for evening meal. The young Jedi headed for the messhall, her bare feet almost silent on the cold durasteel plating. She keyed open the turbolift and was about to enter when she heard a piercing scream. Forgetting the lift, Tahiri sprinted towards the source of the scream.

She entered a meditation room at a dead run, but stopped short just inside the door. Jacen Solo was sprawled out on the floor, crying, but still screaming. He seemed to be in some sort of trance. After a second, Tahiri's mind reasserted control over her body and she stepped over to Jacen.

Crouching quickly, she gently reached out to Jacen with her hands and mind. His body was shaking, but his mind was in absolute turmoil. Something was causing him pain. Tahiri caught brief glimpses of Jacen's rescue from the Vong before his barriers were unconsciously slammed down again.

"Jacen," she called out vocally and mentally. "It's Tahiri. You're safe, Jacen. You're with friends now. The Vong can't hurt you anymore. Come on, Jacen. Wake up." Tahiri called out to him some more, trying to get him to wake.

Jacen's screaming subsided into quiet sobs. A few minutes later, he awoke. He stared up at Tahiri, his chocolate-colored gaze strong and penetrating. Tahiri looked back at him, her own emerald gaze non-wavering.

Jacen sat up, but never took his eyes off of Tahiri. He sat cross-legged, facing the other Jedi, and gestured for her to do the same. Once she had complied, and they were sitting knee-to-knee, Jacen spoke. "Thank you." His voice was hoarse from screaming and sobbing, but other than that, was strong.

Tahiri nodded. "You had a vision about your time with the Vong." It was a statement, not a question, for Tahiri already knew the answer. She knew that Jacen needed to speak about his time with the aliens, but he would never bring it up himself, so she had provided him with that opportunity.

He nodded, and for the first time since waking, shifted his gaze from Tahiri and looked at his hands. Tahiri, not knowing what else to do, reached out and took his large hands in her own smaller ones. Jacen looked up, startled at her action.

"Jacen, I've been where you've been," she said softly. "I've gotten over my time as an Yuuzhan Vong captive. I don't need to talk about it. But you do. That's the only way you'll get over it and heal."

Jacen nodded, then looked back down at their clasped hands. "They broke me," he told her after a moment. "I was weak, and I was broken. They scarred me like I was one of them. They tried to turn me into one of them."

He paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "They showed me visions of Jaina and me in a death duel. Sometimes I won, sometimes I lost. But always, _always,_ we both ended up dead. They showed me visions of me killing you, killing Tenel Ka, killing all of my friends. I even started to believe that I was one of them and that all of my 'infidel friends' needed to die."

He paused again, still looking at his and Tahiri's hands. Tahiri squeezed his hands encouragingly. He looked up at her a smiled a small, grateful smile. The smile faded, though, as his eyes became unfocused and his memory took a hold of him once again.

"Vergere saved me from the shaping. She broke through the barriers the shapers had put up and brought my real memories to the surface. That hurt more than my breaking and shaping, but it was worth it. I owed her my life.

"What haunts me is her death," he continued quietly. His eyes focused on some point on the wall over Tahiri's shoulder. "We were almost free, and she was struck down. She died, and I couldn't prevent it. We didn't even take her body for proper burial rites. She saved me, and I couldn't even do the simplest task for her." Tears were again coursing down his cheeks, but this time silently. He didn't even attempt to wipe them away. He was too lost in a world of memories.

Tahiri got to her knees in front of Jacen. She pulled her hands from his, but he didn't seem to notice. She pulled him to her in a tight hug, stroking the back of his head. He clung tightly to her, letting his tears be absorbed by the material of her shirt.

"It'll be okay," she whispered to him. "You'll hurt for a long time, but it'll fade after a while. The hurt and guilt and pain will always be there, but they won't always be so strong. You just can't let them consume you."

Jacen sniffled, then turned his head so his left temple rested against Tahiri's right shoulder. "How did you get over Anakin?" he asked, his breath a whisper on her neck.

Tahiri rested her head on Jacen's shoulder as the all-to-familiar pain began to take hold of her. "I'm not over Anakin," she replied. "And I never will be. I'll always love your brother. And even though he's gone, he'll always hold a place in my heart." She paused and sighed before continuing. "I'm still trying to cope with the pain. Your family is helping, but they'll never understand. We were just beginning to discover our feeling for each other when he died. I'll always wonder what might have been, but I'll never know."

Jacen squeezed her tight before pulling away. He got his own knees beneath him, mirroring Tahiri's position. "I promised Anakin before he died that I would finish the mission for him," he told her. "But he gave me an order that I haven't been able to follow through on."

"And what was that?" Tahiri asked, puzzled. _He wouldn't be telling me this unless it involved me. But what could that be?_

The answer came to her as Jacen leaned forward and kissed her lightly, his lips lingering on hers for a second before he pulled back once more.

_I told Anakin that he'd get that kiss when he came back, but he never did._

"Anakin told me to kiss you for him. He told me to get you to safety," Jacen told her. "He loved you, Tahiri."

"I know," she replied. Jacen laughed, and Tahiri glared at him. "What is it that you find so funny about all of this?"

"I'm sorry," he apologized, smiling slightly. "But whenever someone in my family declares their feeling for someone, the other person always says 'I know.' It started with my parents, on Cloud City. I guess it's a family tradition."

Tahiri let a smile tug at the corners of her mouth, but didn't let it bloom into a full smile. She stood, held out her hands to Jacen, waited for him to grasp them, then pulled him to his feet in front of her. She dropped his hands and gestured to the door. "Now, we're going to get some evening meal," she told him, heading for the door. "That's where I was going when I heard you scream."

"If the lady says so..." Jacen trailed off, following Tahiri out the door and down the corridor.

"I say so," she said firmly. "Now, come on, or there might not be any food left."

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Jacen said, the door closing behind him. The meditation room was engulfed in darkness, the only witness to the events that had taken place in there, the walls. And a small Yuuzhan Vong recording device, waiting for the Traitor to retrieve it.


	12. Chapter 12

Tionne Solusar awoke as the alarm on the chrono began to chime. As usual, Kam was already gone, leaving his wife to get some extra sleep. She glanced at the chrono. She had thirty minutes before her first lesson started. Just enough time for a quick shower and breakfast.

She grimaced as a dull ache emanated from her lower back as she sat up. _I've got to start sleeping in more comfortable positions,_ she thought. _I don't want to have a strained back when the baby is born._

The minstrel took a quick shower and dressed in loose, comfortable, sand-colored Jedi robes. She slipped into a pair of comfortable boots, and headed for the messhall. Once done with breakfast, Tionne headed for the nearest turbolift. Her classroom was two levels up, and she was definitely in no shape to take the stairs adjacent to the turbolift.

"Hold the lift!" she called as she saw the doors closing. A hand slid in the way of the doors, and they opened again, their programming keeping them from closing until the obstruction was out of their way. Tionne hurried as quickly as she could and entered the lift. "Thank you, Valin," she told the young man already in the lift. "I believe you know what level I want."

"Yes, Master Tionne," Valin said, pressing the appropriate button. "And before you say anything, I wasn't trying to skip out on your class again. I was just on my way to it."

"I wasn't going to accuse you of skipping class," Tionne told the boy with a smile. The lift started to go up, but abruptly came to a halt after a second. Tionne sighed, digging in her pocket for her comlink, and grimaced when she remembered that she had left it on her dresser. "Valin, do you have a comlink?"

Valin dug in his own pockets for a second, but came up empty handed. "Sorry. I guess I forgot it. Isn't there an emergency one in here somewhere?"

Tionne shook her head. "It was never hooked up. I knew--" She stopped as abruptly as the lift had. She reached out a hand to rest against the wall to steady herself, her other hand coming to rest on her swollen belly.

"Master Tionne, is something wrong?" Valin asked worriedly. "Are you alright?"

The Jedi didn't answer, but focused on the tiny life inside of her. The baby was in turmoil, scared. Suddenly, the sensation hit her again. It was from the baby. Her environment was changing, and she wanted out.

"Master Tionne?" Valin's voice was full of worry. Tionne smiled at his concern for her.

"I'm alright, Valin," she told her student. "I really am. But my baby is eager to be born, and she isn't willing to wait any longer."

"What?" he asked, confused.

"My baby is going to be born today. And soon," she added as she felt her uterus contract. "I'm in labor."

"You're joking, right?" Valin asked incredulously. "This is just a big practical joke. It has to be. You're not really in labor." Belying his words were his feelings. The boy was nervous and scared, and it was showing.

Tionne leaned her back against the wall of the turbolift and slid to the floor. "I'm sorry, Valin," she told him. "I wish this were just a big joke, but it's not." She stretched her legs out on the floor and winced as another contraction hit her. "And it seems that my baby is in a rush to be born."

Valin started to pace within the small confines of the turbolift. "Oh Force, oh Force, oh Force," he kept repeating under his breath.

The elder Jedi reached out for her husband and found him on the other side of the base. _One of his philosophy classes is right now,_ Tionne thought to herself. She could feel his annoyance at his students' willingness to argue every point he made. _Kam,_ she called out to him.

_What's wrong?_ She sensed more than heard the words. She knew that he could feel her distress through their bond, just like she could feel his worry. _Are you okay? Is the baby okay?_

_We're fine,_ she called back. _But, I'm in labor and stuck in a turbolift with Valin Horn._ She felt her husband's worry start to turn to full blown panic. _Don't worry about us, Kam. Just get us out of here._

Kam cut their connection and Tionne sighed. She just hoped that her baby wouldn't be born in a turbolift. _It would make a good story to tell her someday, though._ The minstrel smiled, imagining telling her daughter stories from before she was born.

"Valin, calm down," she ordered the agitated teen. "I'm the one in labor, not you. If they don't get us out of here in time, you're the one with the easy job. Just sit down, breathe, and try to relax."

The young Jedi complied, and sat against the wall opposite Tionne. "I've never delivered a baby before, and to tell you the truth, I never want to. I'll leave that job to the doctors and healers, thank you very much."

"I sincerely hope that you won't have to deliver my baby," Tionne told him. "I don't want her born in a cramped turbolift."

Valin was silent for a moment. He pulled his legs up so that his feet were flat against the floor, and rested his forearms on his knees. "If you don't mind my asking, have you and Master Kam decided on a name?"

"We haven't been able to agree on anything," she said wearily. "It seems as if we have very different tastes in names." She grimaced in discomfort as another contraction hit her. They weren't yet bad enough to cause great deals of pain, but she knew that they would get that way soon enough. Valin moved to sit next to her and grasped her hand. Tionne smiled gratefully at him as he helped her through the discomfort.

"I have a suggestion for a name," Valin told her, letting go of her hand and sitting cross-legged next to her. "If you don't mind, that is."

"Any suggestion would be appreciated."

"Mekira." At Tionne's questioning look, he continued. "It was my Grandma Terrik's name. Mom's always saying that she was beautiful and kind and loving. I figure that any little girl raised by you would be like that. So, I think it kinda fits."

Tionne pondered it for a second, then smiled at her student. "Mekira is a beautiful name. I'm sure even Kam will love it," she said. "Thank you, Valin."

Before the young man could respond, the lights in the turbolift abruptly shut off. After a few moments, the dim, red, emergency glowpanels flickered on, casting an eerie, crimson glow in the turbolift.

"Great," Valin said sarcastically. "I wonder if the entire base is on emergency power, too."

Tionne reached out for Kam, and caught a glimpse of red-tinted corridors through his eyes. "Yes," she told Valin, pulling away from her husband. "Oh!" she cried out as a sharp contraction ripped through her. She panted for breath through the pain, squeezing Valin's hand.

After almost two minutes, the pain subsided. Tionne slumped back against the wall, still trying to get her breath. "Valin, I think you might just have to deliver Mekira. She's coming fast." She shifted to try to get more comfortable. "Help me here."

Valin helped her take off her outer robe, bundled it up, and set it on the floor. He helped her maneuver so that she was lying on the floor, the turbolift door off to her left, then helped situate her robe under her head, so that she was as comfortable as possible.

Tionne watched as Valin took off his own outer robe. She looked at him questioningly, still too out of breath to speak. "I don't know much about delivering babies," he told her, "but I do know that they have to be kept warm. I'm sure Mom won't mind letting Mekira use my robe."

The minstrel cried out as another, stronger contraction wracked her body. She felt Kam and all of her close friends sever their mental bonds to her. She knew that her anguish was rolling off of her and to her friends through the Force. She didn't like the feeling of being alone, but she knew that it was necessary.

Valin lifted up her other robes, and even in the red light, Tionne thought she saw him turn a sickly shade of green. His eyes were as wide as saucers, and he looked about ready to either faint or be sick.

"What's wrong?" Tionne demanded, half hysterical from the pain. The pain was unbearable, so bad that she was unable to concentrate, unable to use the Force to try to diminish it. "What's wrong with my baby?!"

The young Jedi seemed to snap back to reality. "Nothing, at least as far as I can tell. But I can see her head. I can see the top of her head!"

Tionne didn't bother to respond, but cried out as the pain of another contraction ripped through her. The pain wasn't just confined to her lower body, but it seemed to ripple through her entire being. She pushed with all of her might, willing Mekira to be born, sobbing in pain. "It hurts, it hurts," she sobbed hoarsely after the contraction ended.

Both occupants of the turbolift started as the door started to be levered open. Valin quickly turned back to Tionne. "Her head is out, Master Tionne," he told her. "You're almost done." He paused, a dubious look crossing his face. "I think."

The door continued to open, centimeter-by-centimeter. "Tionne, are you okay?" Taesa asked from somewhere out of sight. "How far has the labor progressed?"

Instead of answering, the minstrel cried out again. "Come on, you can do it," Valin told her encouragingly. "Just a little more."

Again, Tionne pushed with all of her might. She collapsed back onto the floor when she felt Mekira completely leave her body. She smiled wearily when she heard her daughter cry for the first time.

"Does that answer your question?" Valin asked Taesa. He then leaned over Tionne and handed her a wrapped and squirming bundle. "Now, get us outta here! I'm not cutting the cord or doing anything else, you hear?"

Tionne heard the conversation going on around her, but ignored it. All she focused on was her daughter. She pulled Valin's emerald robe away from Mekira's face and saw her beautiful baby for the first time. She had her father's eyes, but Tionne's nose and mouth. What little hair she had was silver-white, like her mother's.

Sighing, Tionne closed her eyes and let her exhaustion overcome her. She let her head sink deeper down into her impromptu pillow. She felt herself drifting, and didn't know if that was a good or bad thing. The voices around her became more and more distant until she could hear them no more.

Tionne saw a bright light through her closed eyelids, but couldn't find the energy to open her eyes. She had just delivered a baby in twenty minutes. All she wanted to do now was to sleep and let her body heal.

Dimly, through the fog in her mind, she heard Valin say, "Master Taesa, she's bleeding an awful lot." There was a pause as the healer answered, but Tionne couldn't hear the other woman's words. "Yeah, but I think she's bleeding more than that. Her robes are covered in it."

The rest of Valin's words were lost as Tionne slipped into unconsciousness. Baby Mekira wailed for her mother, but to no avail. Tionne just kept slipping further and further away from her body, and away from her pain.


	13. Chapter 13

Kam Solusar continued to jack open the turbolift door as he heard Tionne cry out in pain. He wanted desperately to be able to help his wife through her labor, to be there to hold her hand, to take away her pain. The only thing separating him from her was a durasteel door, but they might have been on opposite sides of the galaxy for all Kam cared.

The Jedi Master redoubled his efforts at levering open the door when he heard Valin say, "Come on, you can do it. Just a little more." The door was open the length of Kam's hand, but all he could see was Tionne's still swollen belly.

Kam saw Tionne's body relax and then heard the sweetest thing ever: his daughter's voice, crying out. He reached out to touch her mind tentatively, but when she felt his touch, she latched onto it immediately. She was scared and suddenly cold, and she wanted her momma.

"Does that answer your question?" Valin threw at Taesa, who was standing behind Kam, anxiously looking over his shoulder into the lift. Valin's form was visible leaning over Tionne, handing her the bundle that was her baby. "Now, get us outta here!" the young man continued, looking right at Kam. He looked over at Taesa. "I'm not cutting the cord, or doing anything else, you hear?"

"No one's asking you to," Taesa assured him. "They'll both be fine for a few minutes until Master Solusar can get the door open enough for me to get in there. Just relax, your job is done."

"Thank the Force," he told her. "I never asked to do this. I just want outta here."

Taesa handed Valin a glow rod through the crack in the door. "Just check on Tionne real quick for me," she told him. "Check her breathing, reaction to light, things like that."

Valin nodded and crawled over to Tionne. Kam saw him flash the light in her face, but couldn't see her reaction. He put a hand above her mouth and nose to feel for breathing. "She didn't open her eyes to the light, but she is breathing," the young man reported. He moved to pull her robes down so that she was decent again, but stopped abruptly. "Master Taesa, she's bleeding an awful lot."

The healer stuck her head through the crack, now almost the size of Kam's forearm. She flashed her own glowrod on Tionne's robes. "She's just delivered a baby in twenty minutes. That's a major trauma. She's going to bleed some as a matter of course."

"Yeah, but I think she's bleeding more than that," Valin replied. "Her robes are covered in it. And I mean literally soaked through."

Taesa tried to maneuver to get a better look, but couldn't see, no matter what she did. "_Shavit_!" she cursed, looking from Tionne to Kam. "I need in there. Quickly."

"I'm working on it!" Kam snapped. He reached out to Tionne through their bond, but had difficulty finding her. Her spirit was drifting away from her body. _Tionne, no! Come back! The baby needs you. I need you._

Taesa shouldered past Kam as the crack became large enough for her to squeeze through. The healer immediately set to work on Tionne, stopping only to cut and tie the umbilical cord between mother and child.

Valin moved to stand by the door, effectively blocking Kam from seeing his wife. The young man was now holding the baby, who was asleep, the trauma of childbirth tiring her. "Do you think Master Tionne will be okay?" the teen asked worriedly.

"I don't know," Kam answered truthfully. "I hope she'll be just fine, but I really don't know."

* * *

Mirax Horn rushed into the small medical bay, but was stopped just inside the door by Luke Skywalker. Mirax and Tionne had become good friends, and she had come as soon as she had heard about Tionne's labor in the turbolift.

"How is she?" Mirax asked Luke, worried. "And where's Valin?"

"I sent Valin back to his quarters," Luke answered her second question. "I told him to stay there until someone contacted him with news. He was very worried about Tionne." The Jedi gestured for Mirax to follow him, then went and sat in one of the chairs in from of the desks in Telki and Taesa's small office. "As to Tionne..." he trailed off, averting his eyes. Mirax followed his gaze, and her eyes landed on Jag Fel in the bacta tank. She looked back to Luke as he continued. "Both Taesa and Telki are in there, working on her, but I have no idea how she's doing. Kam hasn't come out of there with news, so I'm as much in the dark as you are."

"What about the baby? How is she?" Mirax pressed.

"Leia's watching the baby for now," Luke said, turning his attention back to Mirax. "Telki gave her a quick exam and said that she's perfectly healthy. No adverse effects from the quick delivery."

Both Mirax and Luke turned as the door to the exam room opened. Telki came out and shut the door behind herself. The little Chanda Fan healer moved to the small office and sat behind one of the desks. She rested her elbows on the desk, her head in her hands, exhaustion crossing her mousy features.

"How's Tionne?" Luke asked quietly. To Mirax, it seemed almost as if he were afraid to hear the answer.

Telki looked up as if just noticing the presence of others in the room. "We won't know for sure until at least tomorrow," she told them. "She lost a lot of blood, and she went through a major trauma. We managed to get her into a healing trance, but we don't know how well it will work. Right now, it's all up to Tionne."

Mirax sighed, then stood abruptly. "You'll let me know when she wakes up?" Telki nodded wearily. "Thanks." She turned and headed for the door to the medical bay. She almost ran into Jacen Solo, who was entering. "Don't expect much news," she warned him, then turned and stalked down the corridor.

* * *

The Traitor stood over Tionne Solusar, under the guise of checking on her. A feral grin crossed the Traitor's face as it thought of how well its plans were proceeding.

At dinner the previous night, the Traitor had drugged Tionne's food, causing her to go into a mild labor. And at breakfast that morning, the Traitor had slipped a drug into her food, causing rapid labor and delivery.

The recording device in Jacen Solo's regular meditation room had been recovered. The Traitor had watched the recording, and was trying to figure out some way to use the information contained in it.

Jag Fel wouldn't come out of bacta for at least another two days. _That is,_ the Traitor thought, _if I let him live. He'll end up dead no matter what I choose, though. Either by my hand, or some Vong's._

Jaina Solo hadn't yet gone out in her X-wing, but the Traitor was sure that she would soon. _She's got to,_ the Traitor thought with a sneer. _She won't let her squadron fall out of fighting trim. Her own habits are working against her. I'll have her soon._

_I won't fail again._


	14. Chapter 14

Jaina Solo settled herself down into the cockpit of her X-wing as Cappie was lowered into his socket by a maintenance tech. She began the startup sequence of the fighter as the canopy started to close.

She glanced across the hangar bay at Jag's clawcraft. Jaina desperately wanted him out there today to fly her wing during the squadron’s live-fire exercises, but he was still in the bacta tank. _Hopefully, he'll get out tomorrow,_ she thought. _I miss him so much._

Cappie trilled and Jaina looked down at her board for the translation. She had to will herself to keep breathing when she saw the words on the board: _You are not Yun-Harla. You are nothing but a blasphemer._

"Cappie, what's wrong with you?" Jaina asked, fear creeping into her voice. She tried to clamp down on her fear. _Fear is of the Dark Side. I've already been there, and I have no intention of visiting again._

_Nothing is wrong with me,_ the translation of Cappie's beeps said. _I have become enlightened. You blaspheme the Gods. You will die for your blasphemy._

Jaina flipped on her comm unit, but got an error message on her main board: _Comm unit is non-functional._ She hit her fist against the board and cursed: long, loud, and colorfully. "Blast it, Cappie! Let me use my comm!" she demanded.

_I cannot allow that,_ her droid told her.

_Kyp, I've got a problem,_ she called out mentally to her second-in-command. She reached up to pop her canopy, but Cappie had already vacuum sealed it. There was no way she was getting out unless Cappie wished it. _Which he obviously doesn't._

_What's wrong?_ Jaina felt more than heard the words from Kyp. However, she could plainly feel his concern and worry. Everyone had been on high alert since it had been announced that there was a Vong traitor in the base. Somehow, Kyp knew that something was, in fact, horribly wrong.

_Cappie's been sabotaged,_ she sent to him, along with the image of her droid turning into a Vong warrior. _He's got me stuck in here._

She felt his mind begin to race and saw the canopy of his fighter start to rise. He hopped down to the floor of the hangar and she watched him sprint over to her ship. He jumped up and crouched on the nose of Jaina's X-wing, right in front of the canopy. He pulled something out of his pocket, and held it up for Jaina to see.

Cursing her stupidity, Jaina pulled out her own comlink and flipped it on. "How are you planning on getting me out of here?" she asked.

"If I have to, I'll just cut through the canopy," Kyp replied. He clipped his comlink to his collar and began to feel around the edges of Jaina's cockpit. "But I hope that it won't come to that. It might be hard to get a replacement all the way out here."

Jaina thought for a moment, trying to come up with an alternate course of action. "Kyp," she said suddenly, startling the Jedi Master. "If you can get Cappie out of his socket, then I can override the astromech programming and get out of here."

Cappie trilled, and Jaina looked at the board for the translation. _There is no escape._ The ship started to rise, and Jaina looked in alarm at her board. The repulsorlifts were active. Cappie was going to take them out into space.

"Kyp, I suggest you hurry," she told him, a note of urgency in her voice.

Kyp didn't waste anytime. He crawled over Jaina's canopy so that he was almost lying down on top of it, right in front of Cappie. Jaina twisted around in her seat so that she was kneeling on it and could see the astromech socket. She felt Kyp reach out and get Cappie in a Force-grip. She reached out, lending him her strength. He pulled, and Cappie went flying upward, his information jack getting sheared off in the process.

Jaina dropped back down into her seat. She punched in her override codes, then punched the button that shut down the repulsors, hoping against hope that her plan worked. She breathed a sigh of relief when the X-wing dropped heavily to the ground, jolting Kyp off of the canopy. Not even noticing her fellow pilot's situation, she popped her canopy, letting cool air flood in.

Jaina flipped off her comlink, stuffed it in a pocket, took off her helmet, then vaulted from her ship to the floor, landing gracefully on her feet. Kyp was just now getting his feet under himself and standing. He scowled at the back of Jaina's head, but she didn't notice. All her attention was on the droid before her.

Being careful to avoid the sparking wires from where his information jack had been torn off, Jaina crouched in front of Cappie. "Cappie, what's gotten into you?"

The droid tootled a reply, but Jaina couldn't understand it. Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, a maintenance tech showed up and attached a restraining bolt to the astromech's side. The tech pressed a button on a remote, and walked off, the droid obediently following her.

Jaina held her hand out, and Kyp dropped his comlink onto her open palm. She tuned the device to the Twin Suns tactical frequency. "All units, this is Lead. Our exercises for the day are canceled," she told them. "I will contact you later about tomorrow’s exercises. Lead out." She flicked off the device and handed it back to Kyp.

"What's wrong with your droid?" Kyp asked, rubbing his arm where he had fallen on it. He watched as Jaina hopped up on her X-wing to crouch just aft of the astromech socket.

"Something Vong related," she told him, looking down at him. "He said that I wasn't Yun-Harla and that I deserved to die for my blasphemy." She leaned down so she could see into the socket and carefully pulled out the end of Cappie's information jack. At the end of the jack was some sort of opaque creature.

Hopping down, Jaina showed her find to Kyp. "This look Vong to you?" she asked, handing him the jack.

Kyp studied the creature, but made sure not to touch it. "You're our resident expert, but it looks Vong to me," he told her, handing her back the jack. He looked her in the eye, emerald gaze meeting brandy. "I guess this proves we have a traitor working with the Vong."

He didn't say anymore, but Jaina knew what he wanted to add. _And he/she/it/they have access to the hangar bay and our ships._

"We'd better go show this to Uncle Luke," Jaina said, heading towards the hangar door, Kyp falling into step beside her. "We need to find this traitor soon. Before someone winds up dead."

* * *

Luke Skywalker sighed as the door closed silently behind Kyp and Jaina. He looked down at the opaque creature lying in the middle of the desk in front of him. It was obviously Vong, and that was a problem.

The Jedi Master looked at the still-holos on the desk in front of him. This being Kam's office, there were numerous holos of Tionne and Yavin 4. There was even a holo of one-day old Mekira. _I hope I won't have to tell Kam that we have to move the Jedi again,_ he thought wearily. _The students need stability._

Slouching down into the hoverchair, Luke closed his eyes. _And we thought that this was the safest place in the galaxy._ All of the sudden, though, the Maw wasn't safe at all. Even if the Vong weren't there yet, they would be soon.

The door chimed, and Luke jumped. He had been so deep in contemplation that he hadn't even felt anyone approach. Slipping the Vong creature into the bottom desk drawer, Luke called out, "Enter."

Ganner Rysode entered, but stopped a meter into the room. He bowed respectfully, then asked, "You wished to see me, Master?"

"Yes, I do. Please, have a seat," Luke told the younger man, gesturing to a chair on the other side of the desk. He waited until Ganner was seated before continuing. "I have a mission for you, Ganner."

The younger man raised his eyebrows in polite surprise and curiosity, but said nothing. However, Luke could feel his strong curiosity just under the surface.

"I need you to escort Queen Mother Tenel Ka from Hapes to here and back again," Luke said. Ganner opened his mouth to say something. "Before you complain, let me explain my reasons." The other man shut his mouth obediently. "Tenel Ka is coming here for the Knighting ceremony. And, as you probably know, almost the entire Vong invasion corridor is between here and Hapes. If she doesn't get here safely, and then get home safely, the Hapans will hate the Jedi even more than they do already."

"But why me?" Ganner asked, his brow furrowed in confusion. "I mean, I can pilot, sure, but I'm no Jaina Solo in that regard. Why not send her?"

Luke pondered that. _I can't just tell him that Jaina had a vision that had him and Tenel Ka married. But he'll know if I lie to him. Come on, Luke, think!_

"You'll just have to trust me on this, Ganner," the Jedi Master finally said. "I can't tell you why, but you have to go, and escort Tenel Ka here."

Ganner rolled his eyes, but nodded as he stood. "If there's nothing else, I'll go prepare a ship."

"Wait, there's one more thing," Luke told him, pulling two datacards from a desk drawer. He handed the two wafers to Ganner. "The top datacard has reports on it that I want you to send off to Borleias. The bottom one is a message for Tenel Ka and Prince Isolder. Hand it to no one but them."

"Yes, Master," Ganner replied, turning. He began to head towards the door, but stopped when Luke called out to him.

"Make sure you take one of the academy’s unmarked shuttles," the older man said. "We don't want the Vong to connect the shuttle to either Tenel Ka or the Jedi."

"Yes, Master," Ganner said again, then was gone, the door shutting quietly behind him.

Luke sighed again, folding his arms on the desk, and resting his head on his arms. "I really hope I know what I'm doing," he murmured quietly. _I hope I'm not messing up the future that Jaina saw. Because if I am, I will never forgive myself._

* * *

Ganner Rysode walked down the corridor, the two datacards Master Skywalker had given him in his hand. He was puzzled, though. _Master Skywalker isn't telling me something. He's got something big that he's not telling me. Why would he send me instead of a better pilot to bring Tenel Ka here?_

The obvious reason was that all of the better pilots were need to stay at Shelter to protect the Jedi against a possible Vong invasion. _But if that's the case, then she won't be any safer here than at her home._

Sighing in frustration, Ganner rounded a corner and ran smack into someone. "I'm so sorry," he said, looking up at who he had run into.

"That's okay," Valin Horn said. "There's something obviously on your mind. You're preoccupied. And I'm fine. No harm done."

Ganner nodded. "So, how're you doing, kid? You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Valin answered. "I mean, delivering a baby can mess with your mind a little, but I'm more worried about Master Tionne and Mekira. I was just on my way to check on Master Tionne in the med bay. How about you?"

"I off to escort Tenel Ka from Hapes to here and back," Ganner told the teen. "Sorry if I sound rude, but I have to go and get ready. We need to get back here as soon as possible, for the Knighting ceremony."

"May the Force be with you," Valin told him, walking away towards the med bay.

"Thanks. And with you, too." _I don't know about you, but I’m sure I’m going to need it._


	15. Chapter 15

Jaina Solo stood in the small med bay, watching her husband in the bacta tank. She was still rattled by her close call the previous day, as was Kyp Durron. He had spent almost every waking minute with Jaina since the "attack" and now was no different. He stood to the right and slightly behind here.

_Between me and the door,_ she thought with a wry smile. Indeed, Kyp was standing where he could turn, draw his lightsaber, and protect Jaina from any outside attack. _Anakin and Jacen used to be overprotective of me. Now, it's Jacen and Kyp._

Jaina watched as the base's only 2-1B droid rolled over to Jag's bacta tank. It extended an arm and placed a small electronic device against the transparisteel of the tank. The droid pressed a button on the device, and Jag's pale green eyes flew open. He looked around, clearly disoriented before swimming to the top of the tank.

The 2-1B helped Jag out of the tank. It led him to a drain in the floor, handed him a towel and a robe, and departed. Jag still looked confused, but his eyes lit up when he saw Jaina. He pulled the grey robe on quickly and fiercely embraced Jaina.

Jaina reveled in the feeling of Jag's arms around her. She felt as if she could stay like that forever. She started to protest when he pulled back slightly, but he silenced her by capturing her lips with his own.

Finally, Jaina felt complete. This is what she had been missing for almost five days. He husband was okay, and they could be together again.

Belatedly, Jaina remembered that they weren't alone. Kyp was still standing near the door, but he had turned away, trying to give the couple the semblance of privacy.

Her lungs screaming for oxygen, Jaina broke the kiss and wrapped her arms around Jag's torso. She felt his arms go around her waist and his head come to rest on hers.

"I've missed you so much," Jaina told him quietly, her words slightly muffled by Jag's robe.

Jag pulled away from the embrace and rested his hands on Jaina's shoulders. "Jaina, what happened?" he asked, clearly confused. "The last thing I remember is walking down the corridor to meet you in the pilot's lounge."

"It's a long story," Jaina told him. "Are you sure that you want to hear it here?"

"No," he admitted with a laugh. He looked up at something above Jaina's head. "Where did Kyp go?"

Jaina turned around, and found the med bay empty. Kyp had slipped out silently, and neither Jaina nor Jag had noticed his departure until now.

_Thank you, Kyp,_ Jaina called out to him, realizing that he had left to give them some privacy. "He's probably going to move your stuff back into our room," she said aloud.

This startled Jag, and he looked back down to his wife. "What?"

"I told my parents about us, after you were hurt," she told him simply. "Actually, I told everyone. Everyone knows that we're married."

"You're really going to have to fill me in on recent events," Jag told her with a smile. A mischievous flint entered his eyes. "Right now, though, I just want to spend some _quality_ time with my wife."

Jaina blushed slightly. By all accounts, they were still newlyweds, and she was still slightly embarrassed by such suggestions from her husband.

Jag grabbed her hand and led her to the door, still wet, and still in the grey robe. As the door was opening, the 2-1B called out, "Sir, I would advise against physical activity for at least the next day. You may still have some residual weakness from your ordeal."

"Of course," Jag answered evenly, although the glint was still in his eyes. He tugged on Jaina's hand and led her down the corridor.

Later, in their shared bed, Jaina turned to him. "You know, 2-1B was wrong," she told him quietly.

"Hmm," Jag murmured sleepily. "How was that?"

Smiling, Jaina answered. "You weren't weak at all."


	16. Chapter 16

"Jaina, please don't make me do this."

"Jag, you're my husband, and my parents want to have a nice quiet dinner with their daughter and her husband," Jaina answered. "Don't worry, I'll make sure my dad doesn't shoot you."

"You're not helping any," he said, glaring at her. He couldn't hold the expression, however. Jaina was just standing there, hands on her hips, a mock innocent look on her face. He sighed, resigned. "Fine, let's go and get this over with."

Smiling, Jaina slipped her arms through Jag's. "See, I knew you'd come around."

Walking down the corridor to Han and Leia Solo's quarters, Jag studied his wife from the corner of his eye. She was wearing a pair of black slacks and a deep red form-fitting shirt. Her hair was left down to fall gently around her shoulders. She had on a little makeup, but no jewelry, not even a wedding ring. They still hadn't gotten around to getting those.

_She really is beautiful,_ Jag thought to himself. _How did I ever get so lucky?_

Too soon, however, they reached the door to the Solo's quarters. Jag pulled up short just beside the door and turned to Jaina. "We can still make a run for it," he said, trying one last time to get out of dinner.

"Jag, I promised my parents that we would be here," Jaina told him. "They don't know you very well, and they'd like to."

"Your mother might, but I have a feeling that your father would rather have me shot for marrying his little girl without his permission," he retorted.

Jaina sighed dramatically. "Jag, my father is a grown man. He's relatively mature. Just trust me on this one. He won't shoot you. And even if he tries, both Mom and I have our lightsabers and we’re both pretty good at deflecting blaster fire."

"Fine," he grudgingly agreed, not at all reassured. He leaned down so that his face was centimeters from hers. "But you're really going to owe me for this one."

"I'll make it up to you later," she told him, her lips brushing his with every word she said.

"Good," Jag said, capturing Jaina's lips.

After a second, Jaina pulled away from the kiss. She smiled up at Jag, and reached around to press the door chime for her parents' room. "Here goes nothing."

_You got that right._

* * *

The room that housed Han and Leia Solo, while no larger than any other room on base, didn't seem that small. It was furnished no differently from any of the dozens of rooms that housed the Jedi, except for a few personal items that had been saved from their apartments on Courscant. The room was neat and cozy, and as soon as Jaina walked in, she felt at home.

She didn't know what exactly evoked this feeling in her. Maybe it was seeing her parents talk and banter back and forth, like they used to do before the war. Maybe it was the love that she felt in the room. Maybe it was the knick-knacks scattered around the room that reminded her of her childhood on Courscant. Or maybe it's a combination of all three, she mused.

Hugs, kisses, and--in Han and Jag's case--nods were exchanged. Leia ushered everyone to a small table in a back corner, where they were to eat dinner. Only after they were seated and everyone's plates filled with food did the interrogation begin.

It all started casually enough, though. "So, Jag, how are you feeling after five days in bacta?" Han asked politely enough.

"I was a little tired this morning after I came out of the tank," Jag replied. "But right now, I feel fine."

"That's nice to know," Han said, his voice falsely cheery. "So you won't mind me asking a few questions."

"Dad," Jaina said warningly.

He turned a completely innocent look at his daughter. "What?"

"Be nice," she told him.

Han ignored her comment completely and turned to his son-in-law. Jaina could see a curious and mischievous glint in her father's eyes. He was gearing up to perform an interrogation on Jag that would rival even the best that the Empire could do.

"So, kid, how's your father doing?"

"He was war-weary the last time I saw him a few months ago," Jag answered cautiously. Jaina could feel his surprise at Han's choice of a question. They had both been expecting something more personal. "He was still setting up new military bases when I left for Hapes."

Han nodded. "Nice to know I'm not the only one," he muttered to himself.

_What is he trying to do?_ Jaina wondered. _Is he trying to make us nervous so we'll admit to something?_ She frowned, puzzled. _But what could we possibly admit to?_

Jaina looked to her mother, trying to get some reading on what her father might have had planned. Leia's face was totally impassive, and she was shielding her thoughts from her daughter. The older woman seemed like she was going to keep her silence for the time being.

"How long were you two engaged before you were married?" Han asked sternly, his voice slightly harsh. He was now in his 'over-protective father' mode.

_Great,_ Jaina thought to herself. _He could go on for hours now._

"About ten minutes," Jag answered neutrally, no hint of emotion in his voice. However, Jaina could feel his confusion and apprehension about being questioned by Han. "We decided that we didn't want to wait."

"Why?" Han's voice was still slightly harsh, and very demanding. "Why didn't you want to wait?"

"We both knew that it was the right decision, and we didn't want everyone to try to talk us out of it," Jag answered, not quite defensively. "We knew that everyone would say that we were too young and that we shouldn't get married in the middle of a war that we might not survive. We knew that almost no one would approve, so we didn't tell anyone."

"I'm sure you can understand that very well, Dad," Jaina put in quietly.

"This is about you, not me," Han told his daughter quite pointedly.

"I don't care," she replied, her voice getting louder with each word. "I don't need to hear you criticize our marriage."

"It was a stupid thing to do, Jaina!" Han exclaimed. "You're nineteen. You are on the front lines of this war." Han pointed to Jag. "So's he. How're you gonna make it work? How _could_ you make it work?"

Jaina stared at her father. _Is he really saying that? Is he really concerned about our marriage?_ "I don't know," she finally answered quietly. "But we will make it work. Everything will be just fine. Neither of us will die in this war, and we will be happy. Together."

"You've had a vision, haven't you?" Leia asked, speaking up for the first time in a long time. "You've seen a possible future, and how to get there, haven't you?"

Jaina nodded, then looked down at her hands in her lap. Jag's hand reached over and covered her two hands with one of his. She felt his strength, and smiled at him thankfully.

"I want to get there," she told her mother quietly. "And if I want to get there, I can't listen to Dad. You just have to trust me on this one. I know what's best for us."

Leia nodded, then looked at Jag. "Take good care of my daughter, and don't ever let her go."

"I would never dream of leaving her," Jag told his mother-in-law.

"Good," she said with a faint smile. "Now, eat your dinner. I slaved hard, calling to get this delivered from the kitchen, and you don't want to eat a cold dinner. You're not leaving this table until you eat all you supper."

The tension broken, everyone around the table laughed. They all started to eat, and made small talk. Jaina felt peace like she hadn't felt since she was a child with her brothers.

_ _I'm finally home._ _


	17. Chapter 17

As Ganner Rhysode piloted his shuttle into Hapes' atmosphere, he wondered what kind of reception he would receive upon landing. True, most Hapans didn't particularly like Jedi, but since the new Queen Mother was a Jedi, he didn't know quite what to expect.

He received his landing coordinates and was amazed to see that he was to be berthed at the palace landing pad. _I had thought that they were going to put me in with all of the refugees,_ he thought. _This had to have been Tenel Ka's doing._

Landing and shut down went smoothly, and within a few moments, Ganner was on solid ground. Looking up at his welcoming committee, he was surprised beyond all belief. Both Tenel Ka and Prince Isolder were there, all decked out in court apparel.

Tenel Ka came forward and embraced Ganner tightly. She must have picked up on his surprise, because when she pulled back, she was smiling. "I have come to realize that I must cherish my friends. We never know how long we have left together," she told him. "I'm not the same person I was the last time we spoke. We will need to make time to speak, as friends."

"Of course," Ganner replied. He turned to the man beside Tenel Ka, and bowed formally. "Your Highness."

"It is good to see you, Jedi Rhysode," Prince Isolder said. "Now, if you don't mind my being straight forward, what is your purpose in coming here?"

"I'd rather not speak in the open," Ganner told him. "Is there some place where we three can speak in private?"

"Of course," Tenel Ka replied. She turned and walked away, he long skirts rustling with every step she took. Ganner and Isolder followed behind, silent.

_She's changed,_ Ganner mused. _I don't sense any grief around her. I wonder if Master Skywalker has informed her of Jacen's rescue? But there's something else too._ After a moment’s contemplation, a glowpanel went off in his head. _When she hugged me, she had two arms! Two, not one._

"Majesty, if I may ask a question..."

"I know what you want to know, Ganner," she said. "You are wondering when I got my prosthetic arm, am I right?" Ganner nodded, even though he knew she couldn't see him.

_Somehow, I don't think she needs to see me to know that I did it._

"I finally consented to getting it after I became Queen Mother," Tenel Ka continued. "I wasn't going to get it, but my advisers convinced me that my looks counted." She threw both arms out to the side, as if for inspection. "They even convinced me to wear these ridiculous dresses."

Ganner chuckled quietly. "You certainly look beautiful, though," he said without thinking. Once he realized what he had said, he wanted to smack himself. _Rhysode, you are an idiot!_

"Thank you for your compliment," Tenel Ka said sincerely. She didn't turn to look at him as she spoke, however, but kept looking forward.

Hearing a noise, Ganner searched for the source and almost immediately found it: Prince Isolder. The older man was smiling and failing at holding back his laughter.

_Good job, Rhysode. Make an idiot of yourself in front of the Queen Mother and her father. Smooth, real smooth._

Normally, Ganner would have been able to just shrug off his embarrassment, but this time, he couldn't. He didn't know why this bothered him as much as it did. He always flirted with his female associates. He and Tenel Ka were just friends. So why did his slip of tongue bother him so much?

_What is wrong with me? We're friends, that's all,_ Ganner tried to convince himself. _We'll never be more that friends. So why do I feel like this? Force, I'm confused._

Ganner watched Tenel Ka as they walked, trying to figure out this puzzle, but she kept distracting him. She wasn't saying a word, though; she didn't need to. Even from behind, she was beautiful. Her long emerald gown fit her perfectly and rustled each time her powerful legs took a step. Her long red hair was done up in ornate plaits around her head. Her arms swung lightly as she walked. The overall effect was intoxicating, to say the least.

_What am I thinking?_ Ganner demanded of himself. _First of all, she's a queen. Second of all, she's in love with Jacen Solo. Third, she’s much too young for me. Force, Ganner, get a hold of yourself!_

Soon, the trio came to their destination: Tenel Ka's rooms. "My chambers are the most secure rooms in the palace," she told them as a guard opened the door for them. "I search the rooms myself twice a day for listening devices, and no one enters here without my express permission, not even my bodyguards. We can speak freely in here."

With only slight hesitation, Ganner followed Tenel Ka into her room, with Prince Isolder bringing up the rear.

_You came here with a mission,_ he reminded himself. _Don't let yourself be distracted, no matter how hard it is not to be awestruck by Tenel Ka's beauty. Force, I can't believe I just thought that! Focus, I have to focus!!_

Focus wasn't as easy to achieve as it should have been. _This is going to be one long day, I can feel it._

Tenel Ka gestured to a semicircle of couches and Ganner took the invitation to sit only after the Queen and Prince had both seated themselves. He hoped he would be able to concentrate while sitting directly across from Tenel Ka.

“Now, Jedi Rhysode,” Prince Isolder began, “what is your purpose here?”

“Master Skywalker has asked me to deliver a message to you both,” Ganner replied, pulling a datacard from his tunic. He handed it across the small table in the center of the conversation area to Tenel Ka. She inserted it into a reader built into the table and a quarter-size holo sprung up from the surface of the table.

"Greeting, Majesty, Highness," the image of Luke Skywalker spoke. "I will not waste anymore of your time than I have to, so I will get straight to the point. After much deliberation, Kam Solusar and I have decided that full Knighthood is to be bestowed upon the survivors of the Myrkr mission."

Ganner looked over at Tenel Ka. Though her face showed no signs of surprise, Ganner could feel her astonishment. _Whatever she was expecting from this message, it wasn't this._

The holo message continued. "Majesty, Ganner will fill you in on any news you wish to know during your journey to Shelter, but there are two things that I feel you must hear from me, even if only in this way.

"First, Jaina and Jagged Fel are married. They were wed by Wedge Antilles right before Jaina's squadron was sent to protect Shelter, about a month ago."

"I knew it," Tenel Ka murmured quietly. "I knew they'd do it."

"Second," the message continued, the image taking a deep breath. "Second, my nephew Jacen is alive."

Ganner looked up at Tenel Ka, through the holo image of Master Skywalker being projected from the table in front of him. The Queen Mother's face was full of shock, surprise, joy, and some other emotion that Ganner could not identify. It looked almost like something akin to either grief or sadness.

_Why would she be upset that Jacen is alive?_ Ganner wondered. _She loves him. It was obvious when she felt his 'death.' Have her feelings for him changed since he's been gone?_ Ganner found himself almost hoping that she was over Jacen, and mentally berated himself for that. _What am I thinking? Tenel Ka is nothing more than a friend to me._

After a moment's pause, the message continued. "I'll spare all of the details here, but, suffice it to say, Mara, Tahiri, and I infiltrated Tsavong Lah's worldship and got Jacen out of there. He's now with us at Shelter. I trust that Ganner will fill you in on any other pertinent information about what else has been happening at Shelter. But, please, when you arrive, I would like a word with you."

Master Skywalker's image winked out, and now Ganner could see Tenel Ka's face clearly. She had tears in her eyes, but he couldn't tell if they were from happiness or some other emotion.

She turned to her father. "Prince Isolder, I officially place you in charge of the Hapes Cluster during my absence."

The older man nodded. "Of course, Majesty."

"Now, leave me," Tenel Ka commanded. "I must prepare for my journey."

Ganner bowed then followed Prince Isolder from the room. Before leaving the room, though, he turned around for one last look at Tenel Ka. She was sitting up straight, staring right back at him, but tears were coursing down her cheeks.

"For whatever reason you're crying, I'm sorry," Ganner told her quietly.

"Thank you, my friend," she replied almost inaudibly. "I will be ready to depart within the hour."

Ganner nodded then did leave the room, and Tenel Ka, behind.

* * *

Tenel Ka watched as the door closed behind Ganner. Even after he was out of sight, she continued to stare at the spot where she had last seen him.

When she had heard the words "Jacen is alive," she had been overjoyed. One of her best friends was alive, after everyone but his mother had thought him dead. Jacen was alive! But for some reason, the news that brought her so much joy also greatly saddened her.

"Why?" she wondered aloud, and indeed, that was the question. "Why can't I just be happy?"

But part of her already knew the answer to that question. While she had sincerely mourned Jacen Solo, she had started to move on. She had loved Jacen with all of her heart, and had just started to come to terms with the fact that he was gone, and that she would find someone else to love. Someone who would love her back.

When she had embraced Ganner in the docking bay, she had felt something pass between them. She knew that Ganner had felt it also. His conflicting emotions were blatantly obvious to any one trained in reading faces.

There was something between them that hadn't been there the last time they had been together. After their mission to Myrkr, they had been just friends. That's all they were still, but there was now the promise of something more.

_This doesn't make any sense,_ Tenel Ka thought. _No, that's not right. This makes perfect sense when it shouldn't. We are in the middle of a war that neither of us may survive. We can't afford to be distracted. Distraction can lead to the death of many._

But she was distracted. Of course, she had thought Ganner Rhysode handsome from the moment she first saw him, but his attitude had turned her off. But somewhere along the line, his attitude had changed. He had become less arrogant. He was still good looking, even with the jagged scar running down his face. Tenel Ka found herself unwittingly attracted to him.

"Stop acting like a giddy little school girl!" she commanded herself. "You are an adult, and the Queen Mother of the Hapes Cluster."

_Just because you're the Queen Mother doesn't mean that you can't fall in love,_ part of her mind nagged. _And you know that's what's happening._

"No," she denied. "I am not falling in love with Ganner. I barely know him. How can I fall in love with someone I hardly know?"

_You can if it is the will of the Force,_ the voice answered. _And that's what this is. The Force wills it that you two be together, so that's what's going to happen._

"No," Tenel Ka declared again, this time quietly. "We are just friends and that's how it is going to stay."

_It's a long way to the Maw from here, alone in a shuttle with him,_ the voice went on. _Anything could happen._

"Shut up!" she commanded the part of her mind that was torturing her. "Nothing will happen."

But as she dried her tears and began to pack, she wasn't quite sure anymore.


	18. Chapter 18

Kam Solusar was scared. Not for himself, of course; he could never remember a time when he was truly scared for himself. No, he was scared for his wife. She had delivered their daughter mere days before, and now Tionne was fighting for her life. The labor had been difficult, and now, nearly four days later, Tionne was still in a healing trance.

Looking down at the sleeping infant in his arms, Kam sighed. For years, he and Tionne had been surrogate parents to the Jedi students. But all that time, they had wanted children of their own. Now, when they were finally graced with that miracle, Tionne might not live to see her daughter again.

_No,_ Kam berated himself. _Once I start thinking like that, I'll never be hopeful again. I can't lose hope. Mekira can feel such things. She doesn't need that kind of exposure to negative thoughts._

"Master Kam, look," Valin Horn said.

The first day that Tionne had been in the med ward, no students had been allowed to see her. In fact, none of the students couldn't now visit, except for Valin. The young man had been the one to deliver Mekira. Kam could never forbid the boy from seeing either the baby or Tionne.

Kam looked to where Valin was pointing, and saw the most beautiful thing in the galaxy.

Tionne's beautiful eyes were open slightly. She looked around, saw Valin and smiled, and then her eyes landing on Kam and the sleeping Mekira. At that moment, her eyes seemed to light up, and her presence in the Force significantly strengthened.

"Kam," she rasped, her voice weak and hoarse.

"I'm here darling," he answered, kneeling beside the head of her bed, Mekira still sleeping soundly in his arms. He caressed her gently through their bond. "You had me scared there for a while, hon."

"What happened?" she asked. "I mean, I remember delivering Mekira and then I was floating. And now this."

"After you delivered Mekira, you were hemorrhaging pretty badly. Taesa was able to stop the bleeding, but you had already lost a lot of blood. She and Telki got you in a healing trance. You've been that way for four days."

"Four days," Tionne repeated quietly. "My baby is four days old."

Kam turned to the young man still sitting on the other side of Tionne's bed. "Valin, go get Taesa or Telki, whichever one is in their office," he told him.

"Yes, Master," Valin said, nodding. He quickly departed, and returned with Telki moments later.

The healer quickly examined Tionne. "Neither the scanner nor my senses can pick up any residual damage from your ordeal. I still would like for you to stay here for another day, under observation. Just to be safe."

"Of course," Tionne replied, pushing herself into a sitting position. Her silver hair was oily and stringy around her shoulders, her face was pale, her eyes sunken, but to Kam, at that moment, she was the most beautiful being in the universe, barely beating out Mekira.

_No, that's wrong,_ Kam mentally corrected himself. _Tionne is always the most beautiful being in the galaxy, and Mekira will always be her mother's strongest rival._

Tionne turned and smiled at him. _Thank you,_ he heard through their bond. Out loud, she said, "Let me hold Mekira."

Kam handed her the newborn, and was captivated by the sight of his wife holding their daughter. He was so mesmerized, in fact, that he barely noticed when Telki and Valin quietly slipped out of the room.

Smiling broadly, Kam thought, _This is my family._

_My family.  
_

* * *

_Shafts of violet and emerald clashed together in a deadly dance. But this was no friendly spar, it was a fight to the death. The cuts and slashes were serious. There was no way to stop them once the movement for them began. _

_Darkness. Complete darkness, except for the two lightsabers. Not even the glow from the twin blades could illuminate their surroundings. All was shrouded in blackness except for the two blades themselves._

_Even though dozens of Jedi had violet blades, and many more had emerald, Jaina knew who the blades belonged to. She couldn't see the hilts that the blades sprung from, but she would know those two lightsabers anywhere. After all, she had created one of them, her twin brother, the other._

_The violet blade struck out, and the green blade was too slow to block the cut. There was a shout of pain from a male voice as the hilt of the emerald lightaber was dropped and the blade extinguished. Somehow, even though she could only see the shaft of light that was the violet blade, Jaina knew that the person that had wielded the emerald blade was dead. _

_The hilt of the violet lightsaber was dropped, and the blade extinguished, just as the emerald blade moments before. Jaina cried out in fear as her surroundings became complete darkness._

This must be what the Vong saw for so long during their journey between galaxies,_ she thought, shaking from fear. _Why am I afraid? I've been in complete darkness before. Why is this so different?

_But she already knew the answer to that question. She was afraid because of all of the negative emotions swirling around her, of all of the anger and hatred in the air. There was a well of hatred here, and Jaina was afraid that the hatred was from her._

_As if from everywhere and nowhere at once, Jaina heard a voice. "This is the future, Jaina. These two blades will clash together soon, that much is certain. What are uncertain are the identities of those who will wield the blades. As a great Jedi once said, 'Forever in motion is the future.' "_

_"Who are you?" Jaina called out, frantic. "Who's there?"_

_"My identity is not important," the voice told her. "All that is important is that you stay out of this conflict. If you get involved, you will surely die."_

_"But that's my lightsaber," she argued. "I would never give my blade up for someone else to use."_

_"In this one instance, you must," the voice insisted. "Else you will die."_

_Jaina nodded, even though she knew the person she was talking to couldn't see her. But, then again, she wasn't quite sure she was talking to a physical being. For all she knew, she was talking to a spirit, or to herself. But she did know that the being knew her gesture._

_"But who are you?" she asked again. "I know you said it's not important, but for curiosity's sake."_

_"I am a pupil of your master's master," the voice answered cryptically. _

_"What does that mean?" Jaina demanded. "I'm no good at puzzles. Anakin always was, not me."_

_"You are getting close," the voice said, with a trace of humor. "I share a name with your brother."_

_A glowpanel suddenly went off in Jaina's head. "You're Anakin Skywalker! My grandfather."_

_"Correct."_

_"But why are you showing me this?"_

_There was a sigh from Anakin. "You are my granddaughter. Although I have never had the chance to see you, I am not looking forward to that meeting. When we finally meet, it will mean you are dead. You have an important destiny in front of you. You can push back these invaders and save the galaxy, but to do that, you need to be alive. Had I not shown you this, you would have rushed into this conflict, and died."_

_Jaina was about to ask a question when her surroundings began to grow brighter. She felt a dull ache begin in the back of her head, which grew in intensity with the light around her._

_"Goodbye, child," Anakin said. "Remember what I've told you." _

_The blackness had now turned to pure white and kept getting brighter. The light was so intense now; it hurt Jaina to even just think about it._

_Before losing all notice of her surroundings, however, a thought popped into her head:_ Is this how every one of my visions is going to end from now on?

* * *

Jaina Solo Fel awoke with a start, sitting bolt upright in bed. Only Jag's arm across her waist kept her from jumping from the bed and pacing restlessly around their small room.

"Jaina?" Jag asked sleepily, slowly coming to consciousness. "Something wrong?"

She glanced at the chrono, saw 02:21 glaring back at her. _Oh great, I just have to wake up Jag in the middle of the night._

"No, nothing's wrong," she lied, hoping he would just go back to sleep. She wasn't in the mood to talk about her little late night chat with her dead grandfather. "Just go back to sleep."

Jag, however, being Jag, did not listen, but sat up beside her. "Jaina, something's wrong, I can tell. Don't you know better than not to lie to me?"

Jaina smiled. "I should be able to lie to you, without you ever being any the wiser. I _am_ the Jedi, remember?"

"Yes, I remember," he said quietly. "How could I forget? You're always flaunting that fact in front of me."

Not realizing that Jag was joking, Jaina reached out to soothe his emotions, and found nothing but humor and worry there. Humor because of their banter, worry for her.

"Jaina, what's wrong?" he asked again, after a long moment of silence.

Not being able to keep anything from Jag when he used that tone of voice, she spilled the whole story. She told him every detail of her vision. When she was done, she laid back down on the bed, exhausted beyond all belief.

Jag lay down beside her and held her close to his chest. "Why are you upset? All you have to do is stay out of the fight, and you'll be okay."

"That's not it, Jag," she told him quietly, her voice full of emotion. "My grandfather never said that I wouldn't be hurt, only that I wouldn't die. But that's still not it. I'm not worried about myself. I don't care if I die. The thing is someone will die. Not me, but _someone_. Probably someone I care about. Enough people have died fighting battles for me. I don't want anyone else to."

Jaina felt the tears start to work their way down her cheeks, and she buried her face in Jag's chest. She was in the only safe place in the entire galaxy, or so everyone thought. But, somehow, horrible things just kept happening, here in this "safe house."

_This isn't a safe house,_ she thought bitterly. _This is a slaughter house._


	19. Chapter 19

"Next stop: Kessel," Ganner Rhysode said, turning to look at his copilot.

Tenel Ka had changed from her court gown into more practical combat pants and tank top. Her hair had been taken down from its ornate plaits and was now styled in Dathomiri warrior braids. Even though she was no longer dressed as a queen, her beauty was still overwhelmingly distracting.

_I would think she was beautiful dressed in anything,_ Ganner conceded to himself. _I even thought she was beautiful after being tortured by the Vong. Not that I'm going to let anyone know that._

"Are you sure that you will be able to enter the Maw before the Vong notice that we are there?" Tenel Ka asked. There was no fear in her voice, only mild curiosity.

"When I left, the Vong weren't paying the black holes any attention," he told her. "In fact, they had almost completely pulled out of the system. It looked like they weren't interesting in shaping Kessel at all. So, to answer your question, yes, I'm reasonably sure that they won't notice us."

"'Reasonably sure'?"

"As sure as anyone can be when entering enemy territory," he clarified.

"Ah."

For a long moment, neither spoke. There was nothing to talk about, really.

_Well, there is, but neither of us wants to broach the subject,_ Ganner thought to himself. _She wants to know how everyone has changed since she's seen them last, and, somehow, she knows that I'm not comfortable talking about it._

Finally, Tenel Ka broke the not quite comfortable silence. "Master Skywalker's message said that you would fill me in on events that have been happening at Shelter."

"Of course, Majesty." He took a deep breath, readying himself for a long story.

"Please, do not call me 'Majesty,'" she cut in. "Right now, I am not Queen Mother. I am merely Tenel Ka, a Jedi."

"Of course," he said again. "I'm sorry, Tenel Ka."

"No, I am sorry for snapping at you," she told him. "You had no idea that I resent my station in life. I have no desire to be Queen, but it is what I must do, for the sake of my people."

Ganner nodded, knowing that there was no way to respond to that, and knowing, also, that Tenel Ka had not expected him to respond.

"I am sorry," she apologized. "I do not mean to burden you with my troubles."

"No, it's alright," Ganner assured her. "If you need to talk about it, I'll listen. Anytime."

Only after speaking did Ganner realize that there was a hidden meaning in those words. _"Anytime." I can't believe I said that. She could take that to mean that I'll always be there for her, which I will, if she needs help. But she could also take that to mean that I don't want to leave her._

After a moment of distinctly uncomfortable silence, Tenel Ka spoke again. "You were going to tell me of the happenings at Shelter."

"Yes, of course," Ganner said. "But first, you might want to get comfortable. It is a rather long story."

And so Ganner told her everything he knew of Jaina's marriage, Jacen's return, Jag's attack, the sabotage on Jaina's X-wing, Tionne's labor and delivery in the lift, and of the tensions at the Jedi base.

"I don't know what Master Skywalker thinks," he concluded, "but I think that this traitor of ours might strike at the Knighting ceremony. That's the best time to get a package deal of Jedi that includes some of the strongest Knights in the Order."

When Tenel Ka didn't respond, he turned to look at her and found her asleep in her seat. She was curled up so that her legs were pulled against her chest, her arms around her shins. Her head was resting against her knees. Her braids hung in her face, and swayed slightly with every breath she took.

_Force, she is beautiful,_ Ganner thought. _Wait, what am I thinking? She's in love with Jacen Solo. I don't have a chance with her._

Reaching out across the space that separated them, Ganner brushed a stray piece of hair away from Tenel Ka's face, his hand gently caressing her face. She stirred slightly, leaning into his touch, smiling slightly in her sleep.

_What am I going to do?_ Ganner wondered silently, resting his palm against her cheek. After a moment, he thought, _If only there was only a small chance that we might be able to be happy together, I'd take it. But there's not, so I must content myself with just our friendship. _

_If only she knew the effect she has over me...  
_

* * *

Jaina Solo Fel stood and watched as the unmarked shuttle made a smooth landing on the floor of the hangar bay. She had to stop herself from running up to the ship the moment it touched down. One of her best friends in the whole galaxy was aboard that ship, and she couldn't wait to see her again.

Jag seemed to sense her excitement. "Just hold on a minute," he told her. "The boarding ramp will come down in a second, and then you can go run and greet Tenel Ka."

She turned to her husband. "Thank you for the information, oh great wise one," she said sarcastically. "Even though I've been flying ships almost my entire life, I wasn't aware of that fact."

"Well, it's good to know you don't know everything," Jag said, smirking.

"Oh, quit it," she told him, smacking him in the arm.

Jag feigned pain. "Jaina, you wound me!"

"Oh, just be quiet," she commanded, turning her attention back to the old shuttle in front of her. The boarding ramp started to lower, and everyone present moved forward to greet their guest.

When Tenel Ka descended to boarding ramp, Jaina marveled at how much the other woman had _not_ changed. She didn't wear her lizard-hide armor, but her hair was still in warrior braids. Her bearing was a little more regal, but nothing else had changed, really.

"Jaina, my friend," Tenel Ka cried, embracing Jaina in an enthusiastic hug. "It is so good to see you well."

"You too," Jaina said ineloquently. It was at that moment that she _did_ notice something drastically different about her friend. She pulled back and looked at Tenel Ka from an arm's length away. "Tenel Ka, your arm!"

Tenel Ka did something she rarely ever did, and smiled. "My advisers convinced me that my appearance mattered. They talked me into the prosthetic arm, and into wearing ridiculously ornate gowns. They even have me wearing my hair in traditional royal hairstyles, instead of warrior braids."

Jaina embraced her friend again. "Tenel Ka, that's wonderful!!"

"I have also heard some wonderful news," Tenel Ka told her. "I have heard that you and Colonel Fel were married. Congratulations."

"Thank you," Jaina said, relieved beyond all knowing. Until that moment, she realized how much her friend's approval had meant to her. It was almost as if she feared Tenel Ka's disapproval more than her parents'.

Jaina watched as Tenel Ka greeted everyone else who had come to the docking bay. She was quite formal with everyone until they told her not to be. _Must be because of the way she was raised. Being a princess, she must have had to treat everyone formally, including her parents,_ Jaina thought, remembering the times she had seen her friend with her parents. _I'm so glad I never had to do that._

Tenel Ka looked around, as if searching for someone. "Where is Jacen?" she asked.

"He said he wasn't feeling well," Tahiri answered her. "When I saw him at evening meal, he didn't look too well. He said he was going to try to get some rest, probably go to bed early."

Tenel Ka nodded, but Jaina knew that she was disappointed. Tenel Ka and Jacen had been best friends at the academy, and she had had very strong feelings for him.

_What am I talking about?_ Jaina wondered. _She loved him, plain and simple. And now she wants to see him, after she thought him dead for months._

"Well, let's see if we can't find you a room to stay in," Luke said. "The Knighting ceremony won't be held until tomorrow evening, so you have plenty of time to get rested up. I'm sure Kam can find you a place to stay for a few days."

"Of course," Tenel Ka said, picking up her bag. Tenel Ka's voice was almost emotionless, but Jaina could sense that the other woman was disappointed that Jacen hadn't come to greet her. “Lead the way, Master Skywalker."

Luke led the way from the docking bay, with everyone behind him talking and catching up jovially. But behind the facade of happiness, Jaina could sense Tenel Ka's sadness and inner turmoil.

_What is she troubled about? _Jaina wondered, watching her one of her oldest friends worriedly. _She's got everything to be happy about. Jacen's alive, and she's becoming a full Jedi Knight. What is there to be sad about?_

Jaina didn't think anyone else noticed the Queen Mother's real emotions. _She's good at shielding. No one else seems to notice that she's not really happy._ After studying her companions' expressions, though, she had to amend that thought. _Ganner knows something is wrong. But does he know what?_

"Shelter to Jaina. Jaina, come in."

"Huh, what?"

Jag laughed. "We just asked you who you thought would be the next of your little group of friends to get married secretly."

"Oh, I don't know..." she said, launching herself fully into the conversation. But, still, quietly, she worried for her friend.

_Tenel Ka, please, don't worry. Things'll be okay. Somehow, things'll be okay._

_I hope.  
_

* * *

Jacen Solo awoke with a start. He glanced around uneasily at his surroundings, stunned for a moment to see metal walls instead of coral ones. He had almost forgotten that he had been rescued from the Vong.

A knock sounded quietly from his door, and he remembered what had awoken him. Someone was outside his quarters, wanting to come in.

Jacen looked over to Tarc's bed to see him still asleep. _Good, the kid didn't wake up with the knocking._

Jacen got out of his bed and went to the door and opened it slightly. The person on the other side was someone he had never thought he'd see at his door in the middle of the night.

Tahiri Veila stood in the corridor, in a pair of shorts and a tank top. Her long blond hair was disheveled, indicating that she had been asleep, though her green eyes were not tired or groggy looking, but wide, and full of terror.

Jacen entered the corridor and shut the door quietly behind himself, not wanting to wake Tarc. "Tahiri, what's wrong?" he asked, worried.

"Can we go for a walk?" she asked, ignoring Jacen's question. "Please?"

"Yeah, sure," he said. "Where to?"

"Anywhere," she said quickly. "Just some place where we can talk."

"Okay." Jacen began to walk, felt Tahiri right beside him. He was surprised when Tahiri grabbed his hand and held it tight, almost crushing his fingers.

He stopped walking in the middle of the corridor and turned to look at Tahiri, not pulling his hand away from hers. "Something is seriously wrong," he stated. "Tahiri, tell me what's wrong."

Tahiri glanced down the corridor in both directions. "Not here," she finally said nervously. "Some place private."

"I think I know just the place," he told her, leading her down the corridor. Soon, they reached their destination: Jacen's favorite meditation chamber. "Come on." He led her into the room and sat down across from her in the middle of the floor. After they were both settled, he said, "Now, tell me what's wrong."

The young woman took a shuddering breath. "I had a nightmare," she began. "And before you say that a nightmare shouldn't scare me, I think you should know what it was about."

"I wasn't going to say that," Jacen told her quietly. "I wouldn't have said it even if I was thinking it. If it scared you this much, then it had to have been bad."

"It was," she assured him. "It was horrible. I was an Yuuzhan Vong warrior. They had succeeded in shaping me, and I was one of them. I killed everyone I loved. I killed Anakin." Tears began to stream down her cheeks. Her voice faltered when she spoke Anakin's name.

"But there's more, isn't there?" Jacen asked, knowing already that she hadn't spoken the whole extent of her dream.

"Yes," she answered in a pitifully small voice. "I killed all of the Jedi, until only you and Jaina were left. I captured you both alive and took you to the priests. I watched from the very front rank of warriors as you were both sacrificed to the gods. And then, when my work as the _jeedai_ killer was done, I willingly let the priests sacrifice me to the gods. But there was a part of me, deep down, that knew who I really was, but wasn’t strong enough to fight off the shaping. I was weak, and because of that, the entire Jedi order died out. It was all my fault." Finally, she broke down into sobs.

Jacen reached out and took her in his arms. He gently rubbed her back, trying to soothe her sobbing. He reached out with the Force and tried to soothe her troubled soul. "It'll be alright, Tahiri," he told her. "Your vision won't come to pass. The Vong won't get a hold of you again. We won't let them. _I_ won't let them."

"You can't say that!" Tahiri cried, pulling away from Jacen so she could see his face. Her face was red and streaky from her tears, her eyes red and puffy. "You don't know that you'll be able to protect me!"

"I do know," Jacen told her. "I won't let them get you. Anakin told me to take care of you, and I will, but not just because he told me to. I'll take care of you because I care for you. If anything ever happened to you, I would kill myself with guilt."

"How can you care about me?" she asked. "I left you behind on that worldship. I was too numb with grief to even think about you."

"I don't blame you," Jacen told her. "I don't blame anyone for leaving me behind. If you had come back for me, and someone was killed, I would have never have forgiven myself. I didn't want you to come back for me. I just wanted you guys to get out of there safely." He smiled at her. "Besides, you did come back for me. Just not immediately. You saved me from the Vong, Tahiri."

"Yeah, well, if I hadn't left you behind the first time, you wouldn't have been tortured, and you wouldn't have all of the scars that you do," she countered. "And even if _you_ don't blame me, _I_ blame me."

Jacen didn't know how to respond to that, so he just pulled Tahiri close for another embrace. She hugged him back fiercely, burying her face in his chest.

"I'm sorry, Jacen," she murmured, her voice muffled by his shirt. "I'm so sorry."

"Shh," he whispered. "Be still."

After a few minutes, he pulled back and found that Tahiri had fallen asleep in his arms. Her eyes were closed, and she looked so peaceful, even with the after-effects of crying evident.

Jacen laid her down on the floor and settled down comfortably across from her, laying so he was facing her. "Sleep well, Tahiri," he said, before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep himself.


	20. Chapter 20

Luke Skywalker stood in the largest lecture hall of the Jedi base, Shelter. He gazed at the kneeling, soon-to-be Knights before him. They had all placed their lightsabers on a table along the back wall when they had entered, and they wore matching, sand-colored Jedi robes.

"Where’s Jacen?" he asked, frowning. Surely his nephew would've come. The younger man was being knighted today. He wouldn't miss the ceremony, would he? _Tahiri said he wasn't feeling well yesterday, but that was a whole day ago. And even if he wasn't feeling well, he would've come, unless he was on death's door._

"I haven't seen him since breakfast," Leia said. She looked over to her brother, worry evident in her eyes. "He said he was feeling better, but he didn't look well. He said he'd meet Han and me for lunch, but he never showed up. He had Tarc come and tell us that he was ill and he was going to rest before the ceremony."

"It's not like him not to show up," Jaina noted, still kneeling. "This has been both our dreams for as long as we can remember. He wouldn't have missed it just because he doesn't feel well. Something's up."

Luke was about to answer when the door in the back of the room opened. Everyone in the room turned, hoping it was Jacen standing there.

"Taesa," Luke said, surprised. "What are you doing here? Is something wrong?"

"I'm afraid so, Master Skywalker," the healer answered. "Jacen Solo was just brought to the med bay."

"What?" Jaina cried, jumping to her feet. "What's wrong with Jacen?"

Taesa turned to regard Jaina calmly. "He's been poisoned." There was a deadly silence, everyone waiting for Taesa to continue. "Tarc contacted me. He said that Jacen was sweating profusely and that he was vomiting blood. I went to his quarters and got him stabilized. I managed to talk him into going into a healing trance before I got him into the bacta tank. I don't know exactly how much damage was done to his body, or how much blood he lost. I do know, however, that he will be in bacta for at least a few days."

Luke looked to his sister and her husband, and saw that both of them were deathly pale. _If someone tried to kill Ben, I would be too,_ Luke thought.

"The Traitor," Jaina growled, her anger very evident.

_Jaina, don't,_ Luke sent to his only niece. _Don't let your anger consume you._ He didn't know if she heard the exact words, but he did know that she got his meaning.

Jaina turned a scathing glare on her uncle. "My brother almost died, and I didn't feel it. He's been shielding from me since he's gotten back. This just proves how strong his shields are if I didn't even feel his pain. The Vong have hurt him so much. We need to do something about it!"

"We will," Luke promised calmly. "But we will not risk the Dark Side. You and I have both been there. You know it's not worth it."

Jaina had the sense to look guilty before turning back to Taesa. "Is there anything else?" she asked, calmer than before. "Or can I go see my brother now?"

"There is more," Taesa said. "I know who your traitor is, Master Skywalker."

"What?" he asked. "Who?"

Taesa ignore his questions. "Your investigation turned up nothing, but I ran my own investigation. I do have more knowledge about the Vong than you do. I _was_ their captive, after all."

"What are you talking about?" Mara demanded from beside Luke. "You were with the fleet for almost two years before we brought you here. You never went on a mission outside of your lab. You never even _saw_ a Vong until we brought you corpses to study.”

"And I always thought you were smarter than that, Mara,” Taesa said almost conversationally. “Of course I was with the fleet, but that doesn’t mean that I made it off Courscant with the fleet when the planet fell. In fact, I didn’t make it off until almost a week later. It was simple to convince people that I had been there the whole time, considering the chaos afterwards.”

There was another stunned silence as every watched Taesa. The healer pulled a lightsaber from her robes, and ignited the blade.

"Where did you get that?" Luke asked, hoping that the situation could be defused before it came to violence. "Who's lightsaber is that?"

"Why, _Master_ Skywalker, it's your nephew's," she told him, making his title sound like an insult. "I stole it from him when I poisoned him." No one said anything, as everyone was shocked speechless. "I made a deal with the Vong, _Master._ I told them that I could get them the other Solo twin, and more Jedi, for sacrifice. They promised me a quick death, without any suffering. Unlike your death at their hands." She sneered as she brought Jacen's lightsaber up in a ready position.

Kyp was the one to break the silence. "My little sister," he whispered, his voice breaking. "My little sister is a traitor."

* * *

Kyp Durron watched, dazed, as his sister entered the lecture hall. She closed and locked the door behind her manually, but Kyp could feel her fledgling powers reaching out to the Force.

"Why?" the young Jedi Master heard Luke Skywalker ask. "Why are you working with the Vong?"

"They killed my husband," she said, her voice dangerously low. She still held Jacen's lightsaber in front of her. "You Jedi _warriors_ did nothing to stop the Vong, and they killed my husband. You were too cowardly to fight them, and the one person that loved me was killed! You don't deserve to live. You deserve everything the Vong do to you!"

"This war is not going to be won through aggression," Luke told her soothingly.

Kyp knew what was coming, but was too slow to warn Luke. He watched, helpless, as Taesa threw Luke across the lecture hall with a telekinetic burst that she shouldn’t have been able to do, not with her level of training.

Both Mara and Leia cried out, and ran towards Luke. Before they could reach him, however, they were both slammed against the wall by another telekinetic blast. Both women slumped, unconscious, against the wall.

"How _is_ this war going to be won?" the deranged healer demanded. "We have to fight them, or give up and let them be the dominant power in the universe! We can't just 'defend'! It won't work!"

"Taesa, stop!!" Tahiri cried out, tears in her eyes. "You're hurting them."

"That's the point, little girl," Taesa sneered. "Now shut up, before I decide that your mouth needs to be quieted."

Tahiri begrudgingly shut her mouth, and stood facing the older woman. She watched, her face and eyes hard, as Taesa approached her.

Kyp stood motionless in the back of the room, watching his sister terrorize everyone else in the room. _Does she even know I'm here?_ he wondered. _If she did, then she would have come after me first, instead of Luke._

Kyp did the only thing he could do, then. He grabbed the closest lightsaber from the table beside him, and lit the blade. Part of him noticed that he had grabbed Jaina's blade, but most of his brain was focused on his sister.

"Taesa, stop," he commanded, surprised at how calm his voice sounded. "I don't want to have to stop you from hurting any one else."

Taesa turned to look at Kyp, her eyes vemonous. "Like you could stop me, Kyp," she said. "I may not have all the training you do, but at least I’m not afraid to use whatever means necessary to achieve my goal."

Kyp watched in horror as Alema Rar moved up behind Taesa as her attention was on Kyp. Alema's lekku were twitching with something akin to excitement. She held her clawed hands up, ready to strike.

"Alema, no!!" he cried out, but it was too late. Taesa had rounded on the Twi'lek, and before Alema could possibly know what was happening, ran her through with the emerald blade.

Taesa pulled the lightsaber from the other woman's chest, and watched as she fell to the floor, her eyes wide in surprise and fear, already dead. The "healer" laughed sadistically and turned to look at those behind Alema's body. "Don't interfere, or you'll end up like her."

Kyp decided it was now or never, and pressed an attack on Taesa's exposed flank. She sensed his attack, turned, and caught his violet blade on her emerald one.

_Actually Jaina and Jacen's blades,_ Kyp thought with a certain degree of detachment. _Why didn't I just use my lightsaber? It's clipped to my belt, for Force sake!_

But Kyp did know why he picked up Jaina's lightsaber. It just hadn't seemed right for him to fight Jacen's blade with his own. It was Jaina's blade that needed to be in the battle, if he was to live through the experience.

_The Force wills it; therefore, it must come to pass._

Kyp didn't know where he had heard that phrase before, only that he hadn't been the one to say it. It might have been said at some point in his training, or the spirit of Exar Kun might have said it. _I just hope it's true. If it isn't, I might just end up dead._

Kyp tried to use his physical size to his advantage and pressed with all his might against Taesa, hoping for a quick end to this fight. Taesa, however, surprised him. With a flick of her wrist, she twirled Kyp’s lightsaber away to the side and lunged forward, her blade leading her attack.

Kyp was barely able to dodge the strike and felt cool air against his chest as Taesa’s blade sliced open his robes. “Where did you learn to use a lightsaber?” he asked, backing away a few paces, hoping to distract her with questions while he tried to figure out a plan of attack.

“My master, after he was convinced that I wouldn’t revolt and try to kill him, decided that it would be advantageous for at least one of his concubines to be able to protect him if it came down to it,” Taesa answered, holding her lightsaber at an angle in front of her body. “I was trained in many forms of combat, including sabers, though I’ve never used a lightsaber before today.”

She twitched the blade of her lightsaber, beckoning Kyp to continue their battle. When he didn’t move, she snarled and rushed at him, bringing her lightsaber around in a wide, chest-high cut, leaving her whole left side vulnerable to any attack Kyp might make.

Thinking it might be some sort of trap on Taesa's part, Kyp swung Jaina's blade around at his sister anyway. To the woman's credit, she tried, she really did. But she was too slow to bring Jacen's blade around.

Taesa's body fell to the floor as her head rolled across the room and came to a stop against the wall. Her hand dropped the lightsaber, and the hilt now rested by her feet.

Kyp fell to his knees, letting out a strangled sob. He dropped Jaina's lightsaber, the blade extinguishing, the hilt rolling towards its owner. He fell forward, his face against the floor, tears streaming down his cheeks and puddling on the floor.

"No," he sobbed, almost unintelligibly. "No, Taesa, no." He felt arms wrap around his shoulders, and looked up to see Jaina kneeled beside him, tears staining her own cheeks.

"I killed my sister," he told her, almost inaudibly. "I was supposed to protect her, and I killed her!"

Jaina nodded, but offered no words of consolation. All she did was embrace Kyp tighter and let him grieve.

And grieve he did. He cried not only for the death of his sister, but also for being the object of her hate for so long. He had made one bad choice when they were both children, and she had hated him since. And now, she could never forgive him. He had killed her.

"You had no choice," Jaina told him quietly. "It was self-defense."

"But that doesn't make me feel any better about it!" Kyp snapped. "What if it was you and Jacen, and you killed him?"

Jaina just shook her head, not knowing how to answer. She pulled Kyp closer and hugged him even tighter than before. He rested his head on her shoulder and sobbed, his tears soaking into her sand-colored robe.

_Taesa, I love you,_ he thought, hoping somehow, that her spirit could hear him. _And I'm sorry._


	21. Chapter 21

Jacen Solo knelt in front of his uncle, in a small lecture hall. A week after the Knighting ceremony was supposed to take place, it finally was happening. Everyone had decided that the primary lecture hall was no longer an appropriate place to hold the ceremony, and so the location was changed to a small, secondary lecture hall.

Looking around at his fellow newly-Knighted Jedi, Jacen felt a pang of grief. Alema Rar, who should have been there to celebrate with them, was gone. She had died, trying to fight Taesa Andryh, who had gone crazy and tried to incapacitate them all.

_She succeeded in getting me out of the picture,_ Jacen thought. _She almost killed me. Well, me, Jag, Jaina, Tionne, and Mekira. Force, she must have really had a grudge to want to kill a newborn._

"Your actions have proven that you are truly Jedi Knights," Luke Skywalker was saying, jolting Jacen out of his reverie. "This ceremony is simply a formality, as I believe you all know."

Jacen watched as his uncle's gaze moved around the room, his eyes landing on everyone present, if only for a second. His gaze lingered slightly longer on Kyp than on anyone else. _He had to kill his sister at the last ceremony, to save everyone. Uncle Luke sympathizes. So do I. I don't think I would ever be able to kill Jaina, self-defense or not._

"Alema Rar, who lived well and died fighting, died a full Jedi Knight," Luke continued. "She died bravely, defending those around her. Honor her by always fighting in the light, and never abandoning yourself to the Dark Side."

Jacen glanced at his sister, only to find her gazing right back at him. She knew that he feared for her, after her fall that he hadn't been around to help her through. _Don't worry,_ her expression seemed to say, _I won't fall again._

_I trust you,_ he sent, knowing that she got the meaning, if not the exact words.

Glancing to his other side, Jacen found Tahiri Veila also already looking at him. Her expression seemed to say, _Don't worry. I'm not afraid anymore._

He turned back to his uncle as the latter began to talk again. "There is nothing more to say to you, except: May the Force be with you."

As one, all those kneeling stood and turned around. They all called their lightsabers to their hands from the small table on the back of the table in the back of the room. They all clipped the hilts of their blades to their belts, and as one, began talking excitedly.

"Congratulations, Tahiri," Jacen told the blonde girl. "The youngest Jedi Knight in history."

Tahiri blushed. "Only as far as we know," she said. "We don't know much about the old order. There could have been a six year old Knight for all we know."

"No, I doubt that," he said with a smile. Over Tahiri's shoulder, he saw Tenel Ka talking to Ganner Rhysode. Tahiri followed his gaze.

"Jealous?" she asked, turning back to him with a smile.

"No," he said, and realized, with a start, that he wasn't. He still considered Tenel Ka one of his closest and best friends, but he no longer had any romantic feelings for her. _Maybe I never did,_ he thought. _Maybe it was only a childhood crush._

After a moment's silence, Tahiri said, "Come on. I heard a rumor that the students were going to throw us a party. I hate going to parties alone."

"Why, dear lady, are you asking me on a date?" Jacen asked playfully.

"No," Tahiri said, smiling. "I'm ordering you to escort me to this party. Now let's go."

"Of course," he answered, holding out his arm. Tahiri slipped her arm through his, and they walked off together, talking and laughing.

_I'm finally healing. I'll be okay, from now on. I might not be the person I was before this war, but I'm still a Jedi. Now, and forever.  
_

* * *

"Not only do I want you to escort Tenel Ka back to Hapes, but I want you to stay there and act as her bodyguard."

Ganner Rhysode's jaw dropped, his face a mask of shock. "What?"

"I know you don't think that she needs protecting, but I do," Luke Skywalker told the younger man patiently. "Yes, she is a Jedi, and that's the reason I want you to stay on Hapes. The Ni Korish are still around, and I don't think they would mind knocking off their Jedi Queen Mother."

"Wouldn't the fact that I'm a Jedi just make the situation even more volatile?" Ganner asked, getting his wits back about himself. "I mean, if the Ni Korish hate Jedi with a passion, won't I just make the situation worse?"

"I don't believe so," Luke answered. "It might discourage them from attacking her."

"How do you plot _that_ course?"

"When Tenel Ka is in her 'Queen' mode, she can't carry around a lightsaber," Luke explained. "A sharpshooter could kill her with one blast. Sure, she might be able to sense the danger, but she won't be able to protect herself. If you are there, as her bodyguard, you can carry both your own, and her, lightsaber. It will discourage any would-be assassins from making a move."

"If you say so," Ganner said, clearly not believing Luke's reasoning. "I take it we'll be leaving as soon as Tenel Ka is ready?"

"That would be my assumption," Luke told him. "You would have to talk to Tenel Ka about that, though." Luke stood and offered the other man his hand. Ganner shook the Jedi Master's hand. "May the Force be with you, Ganner Rhysode."

"And with you, Master Skywalker," he returned, turning to leave the office.

Once he was out of the office, and alone in the hall, he leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes. _Great,_ he thought sarcastically. _Now I really have a problem. How am I going to be around Tenel Ka all the time and not surrender to these feelings I seem to be having? This is going to be one interesting assignment.  
_

* * *

Kyp Durron stood in the middle of a meditation room, looking out the wall of transparisteel at the black holes that surrounded the Jedi base. He stared at one spot, indistinguishable from any other in that region of space.

After a moment, he spoke. "Do you remember the exact spot where your brother's body was cremated?"

"I could get there with my eyes closed," Jaina Solo Fel answered, coming up to stand beside him. "Is that where Taesa's body finally disappeared into the black holes?"

Kyp nodded, not taking his eyes off of the spot in space. "I hadn't seen her for almost fifteen years before just a few weeks ago," Kyp told her. "She never forgave me from when we were slaves on Kessel. I let Doole sell her to some other slaver. There was nothing I could do, and she never forgave me."

Jaina didn't respond, and for that, Kyp was glad. The only things she could say would be meaningless platitudes, and Kyp was sick of those. He had been getting them for almost two weeks, since the ill-fated first attempt at the Knighting ceremony.

After a long silence, he spoke again. "All my family is dead. My parents died in the mines, and I killed my brother in a stupid attempt to save him. And now I've killed my sister, too. Their blood is on my hands. It's my own fault that I have no family, but I can't help but want to blame someone else."

"You have family, Kyp," Jaina said, her tone compelling him to look at her. "You have me, my parents, Jag, the squadron." She paused, took a breath, her eyes sparkling. "And, in nine months, you'll have my children to be an uncle to."

It took Kyp a second to comprehend what she had just told him. "Jaina, you're..."

"Pregnant?" she finished for him, smiling. "Yes. Twins."

Kyp smiled and swept Jaina up in an enthusiastic hug. "That's great, Jaina. Congratulations!"

Jaina was laughing as he set her down. "Thanks," she said, still smiling.

"How many people know?"

"Oh, you know, the usual," she said, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Me, you, Jag, and Telki. It's another great secret!"

"No, Jaina, you are not getting me stuck in this again," Kyp said, groaning. "Tell me that you are going to tell your family soon."

"Don't worry, Kyp," she said, laughing. "It’s not like we could keep a secret like this from a bunch of Jedi for long. Jag and I were planning on telling my parents and Jacen at dinner and then everyone else afterwards."

Letting out a sigh of relief, Kyp hugged Jaina again. "I can't tell you how happy I am for you," he said.

"I think I can tell," she stated. "You're broadcasting." She laughed again, pulling back from their embrace. She turned her gaze back to the stars, Kyp following suit.

"The pain will fade eventually," she told him quietly. "You'll hurt for a long time, but after a while, it won't be quite as painful to think about her. You'll heal."

"I know," he replied, just as quietly. "I know."

 

**The End**


End file.
